Happiness Falls A Novel by Angie Kim

 Book Excerpt:

"When a father goes missing, his family’s desperate search leads them to question everything they know about him and one another in this thrilling page-turner, a deeply moving portrait of a family in crisis from the award-winning author of Miracle Creek.

Longlisted for the New American Voices Award • “This is a story with so many twists and turns I was riveted through the last page.”—Jodi Picoult

“A brilliant, satisfying, compassionate mystery that is as much about language and storytelling as it is about a missing father. I loved this book.”—Gabrielle Zevin, author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

“I fell in love with the fascinating, brilliant family at the center of this riveting book.”—Ann Napolitano, author of Hello Beautiful

“We didn’t call the police right away.” Those are the electric first words of this extraordinary novel about a biracial Korean American family in Virginia whose lives are upended when their beloved father and husband go missing.

Mia, the irreverent, hyper-analytical twenty-year-old daughter, has an explanation for everything—which is why she isn’t initially concerned when her father and younger brother Eugene don’t return from a walk in a nearby park. They must have lost their phone. Or stopped for an errand somewhere. But by the time Mia’s brother runs through the front door bloody and alone, it becomes clear that the father in this tight-knit family is missing and the only witness is Eugene, who has the rare genetic condition Angelman syndrome and cannot speak.

What follows is both a ticking-clock investigation into the whereabouts of a father and an emotionally rich portrait of a family whose most personal secrets just may be at the heart of his disappearance. Full of shocking twists and fascinating questions of love, language, and human connection, Happiness Falls is a mystery, a family drama, and a novel of profound philosophical inquiry. With all the powerful storytelling she brought to her award-winning debut, Miracle Creek, Angie Kim turns the missing-person story into something wholly original, creating an indelible tale of a family who must go to remarkable lengths to truly understand one another."

Title: Happiness Falls
Author: Angie Kim
Publisher: Random House, Hogarth
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"Happiness Falls" by Angie Kim

My Sentiments:

"Happiness Fall" is quite a story about Asian Culture that features 'happiness, autism, communication, trust, and linguistics' in a mystery story, This author gives the ready a story about a family after the father/husband goes missing at the park with his nonverbal son Eugene who was 14 years old and diagnosed with Autism and Angelman syndrome, who came home bloodied and dirty. What happened to the father? There will be many parts to this story that one will have to keep up with so you will get the full understanding of the way the POV is taking place and being told in the second person by Mia, a 20-year-old biracial Korean American...her father Adam Parson as she looks back on what had expired. The story is a mystery...what happened to the father is loaded with many secrets dealing with plenty of perceptions and assumptions. Will this family be able to find out what has happened to the father as they protect Eugene from what is happening? To get these answers and more, pick up this read and see how well this author brings it out to the reader.

Thank you to Net Gallery for the read and my giving my honest opinion of the novel.