Happiness Falls (Good Morning America Book Club)

A Novel

By: Angie Kim

Narrated by: Shannon Tyo, Sean Patrick Hopkins, Thomas Pruyn, Angie Kim

Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • 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 story, a deeply moving portrait of a family in crisis from the award-winning author of Miracle Creek.

OPRAH DAILY’S #1 NOVEL OF THE YEAR • ONE OF PEOPLE’S TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR • A WASHINGTON POST, BOOKPAGE, KIRKUS REVIEWS, NEW YORK POST, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, BOOK RIOT, CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY, REAL SIMPLE, CRIMEREADS, AND SHE READS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Belletrist Book Club Pick • Finalist for the New American Voices Award • Finalist for the Virginia Literary 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 goes missing.

Mia, the irreverent, hyperanalytical 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.

©2023 Angie Kim (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK

BELLETRIST BOOK CLUB PICK

FINALIST FOR THE NEW AMERICAN VOICES AWARD

OPRAH DAILY’S #1 NOVEL OF THE YEAR • A WASHINGTON POST, BOOKPAGE, KIRKUS REVIEWS, NEW YORK POST, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, BOOK RIOT, CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY, CRIMEREADS, AND SHE READS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

“One of the smartest, most multi-layered mysteries of the year . . . Deftly crafted and truly riveting, this novel about heartache and hope, the author’s second, proves Kim is a powerful voice that’s here to stay.”—The Boston Globe

“Angie Kim’s powerhouse of a novel offers a probing exploration of the intersection of communication, speech and intelligence that not only gives voice to a silenced population but concludes with a fantastic twist.”—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“This riveting missing-person thriller is really a meditation on happiness that illuminates the power of language and challenges readers’ stereotypes.”—People (Book of the Week)

Very interesting book, really great

Great story and narration. I learned a lot about autism and the other disorders that were discussed in the story. It really made me think more about happiness.

Great story

More than just a mystery. I learned a lot from listening to this book and it definitely made me think.

Great book

Enjoyed the story and narration. A mystery with an educational storyline and good character development.

Offensive reading

I have no idea why they chose to exaggerate the disabled person's voice. He is non-vocal, so to speak in an exaggerated way to emphasize his disability is really insensitive. The book was amazing, I am just disappointed by the choice to execute the audiobook this way.

Love/hate relationship

I loved the twists and turns and that predicting the outcome didn’t just become immediately evident… but omg every thought and side thought and probability discussed for each and every second of the story was so PAINFUL. I’m struggling just to finish the last 30 minutes.

Speech-Language Pathologist perspective

I really enjoyed the story, and the emphasis on the assumption of competence for non-speakers. So why…in the narration, was our competent individual with a motorically-based challenge portrayed with such an exaggerated, stereotypical voice?

The amazing possibilities for a non speaker to be able to comunícate.

Disliked Mia initially, she was so smart but obnoxiously in personality. I had to return the book and I had not gotten very far. I ordered the book on audible and could drive or do work and that helped me get to know the Parson family. Enjoyed the story tremendously. Thank you

Wonderful

Read this! Such a page turner. So good. Characters plus twists and turns were amazing.

Innovated use of the the challenges and triumphs of autism embedded in a complex mystery

Liked the use of footnotes and the way the protagonist uses a lot of intricate knowledge on human psychology, technology and autism to add interest to the story and characters. Wonderful character dynamics in a Korean family.

Kept me engaged

This was a great story, had many layers that were interesting, and you want to keep going to find out everything. The only big negative was one of the voices. I’m not sure it was fair to the character. The rest was great.