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isabellamarg's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It is 2020, COVID is rampant, and the father of the Korean-American Park family goes missing on a Tuesday morning. The family's lives are upended in the wake of their fathers disappearance, including Mia who initially dismissed her fathers disappearance, and Eugene her younger brother who returns from the park he and his dad frequented bloodied and alone, without his father.
Happiness Falls follows the ensuing investigation into the disappearance of Adam Parson and how the family and their secrets may have played a role in why he went missing. Eugene, the youngest son, is autistic and has Angelman syndrome which prevents him from being able to communicate verbally. This complicates the investigation as Eugene was the last person to see his father, and also makes the authorities suspicious of him as well as the Park family.
This book combined two of my favorite genres: mystery and family drama. There were plenty of shocking twists and the book posed many deep, philosophical questions about the assumptions we make about language, race, disabilities, immigrants, our family, and ourselves. I love that one of the reasons Angie Kim wrote this book was to highlight that "just because you can't speak doesn't mean you can't think or understand." Eugene and his disabilities play a large role in the treatment of the Park family throughout the investigation into the disappearance of their father. Eugene is labelled as "non-verbal" and the novel explores the implications of this title and how harmful it can be when thinking about how people express themselves and the limitations we place on others. This novel also focused on the aspect of happiness: what it means to be happy and how we can make ourselves and our family happier. As a family deeply affected by a child with a disability, how does this create guilt and resentment with the other siblings Mia and John as well as within their parents themselves?
Overall, I went into this novel expecting a really intriguing and dark mystery and I was not disappointed. I did not expect the novel to focus so much on the aspect of language and verbalization, but I thought it was unique and allowed me to learn more about different speech therapy methods and hopefully un-train any biases I have regarding oral fluency being equated with intelligence. Happiness Falls beautifully captured the complexity and love of a family that is still learning to communicate with each other.
Happiness Falls follows the ensuing investigation into the disappearance of Adam Parson and how the family and their secrets may have played a role in why he went missing. Eugene, the youngest son, is autistic and has Angelman syndrome which prevents him from being able to communicate verbally. This complicates the investigation as Eugene was the last person to see his father, and also makes the authorities suspicious of him as well as the Park family.
This book combined two of my favorite genres: mystery and family drama. There were plenty of shocking twists and the book posed many deep, philosophical questions about the assumptions we make about language, race, disabilities, immigrants, our family, and ourselves. I love that one of the reasons Angie Kim wrote this book was to highlight that "just because you can't speak doesn't mean you can't think or understand." Eugene and his disabilities play a large role in the treatment of the Park family throughout the investigation into the disappearance of their father. Eugene is labelled as "non-verbal" and the novel explores the implications of this title and how harmful it can be when thinking about how people express themselves and the limitations we place on others. This novel also focused on the aspect of happiness: what it means to be happy and how we can make ourselves and our family happier. As a family deeply affected by a child with a disability, how does this create guilt and resentment with the other siblings Mia and John as well as within their parents themselves?
Overall, I went into this novel expecting a really intriguing and dark mystery and I was not disappointed. I did not expect the novel to focus so much on the aspect of language and verbalization, but I thought it was unique and allowed me to learn more about different speech therapy methods and hopefully un-train any biases I have regarding oral fluency being equated with intelligence. Happiness Falls beautifully captured the complexity and love of a family that is still learning to communicate with each other.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, Ableism, and Violence
moriahleigh's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
Moderate: Ableism, Police brutality, Racism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Forced institutionalization and Cancer
cheyarsen's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Okay, I really loved this one.
This book follows the perspective of Mia, the unabashedly and hyper-analytical daughter and sister of the Parkson family, following the disappearance of her father. No one seems to have any idea what could’ve happened to their father. No one except for Eugene, Mia’s little brother, who shows up at home the day of their father’s disappearance covered in blood. The only problem? Eugene has Angelman Syndrome and is nonverbal and can’t communicate what he has seen to his family. Now the Parkson Family must race against the clock, not only to find their father but to protect Eugene.
What this book got right for me:
✔️ Autism/Angelman Syndrome Representation
✔️ AAPI Representation
✔️ S2C Representation
✔️ Open Ended
✔️ Unreliable Narrator (which added to the overall mystery)
What I didn’t love:
✔️ The amount of talk about experiments (again, I’ll explain)
✔️ The passage of time
I oftentimes forgot while reading this book that this was a work of fiction. Kim’s connection to the characters and their stories is evident through her writing. She cares about these characters, which in turn made me care about these characters.
All in all I loved this book. This is my first book from Angie Kim and I look forward to reading her debut novel as well in the future.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Bullying, Car accident, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, Ableism, and Injury/Injury detail
jjones2208's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic
smagzisreading's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Ableism, Death of parent, and Bullying
murve's review against another edition
4.25
I enjoyed the mix of mystery/thriller and social commentary, especially with how much Covid affected everyone in this story. It was satisfying to see all the pieces of this story finally come together, although I wish it had a happier ending. :(
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Ableism, Bullying, Death, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Suicide
lindseybkoehler's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Grief
Moderate: Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Cancer, Ableism, Mental illness, and Terminal illness
Minor: Cultural appropriation, Forced institutionalization, Bullying, and Deportation
skbat's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Ableism
Moderate: Car accident, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Cancer
Minor: Suicide, War, Confinement, Bullying, Racism, Blood, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Rape, and Police brutality
kotletka_polina's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
It was not what I expected. This book leaned more towards literally fiction despite the premise being set as a thriller/mystery. The open ending is very anticlimactic giving that the resolution seemed so close.
But I liked this book. Even though it has too much yapping at times, I really sympathised with the characters, feeling what they were feeling at that moment: rage and infuriation at their fathers’s secrets, nervousness and suspicion with each new peace of information revealed. I even found the narrator relatable somehow.
Even though it’s not the vibe I expected to get I still pretty much enjoyed it. Read the entire book in a couple of sittings without getting tired of complicated vocabulary (English isn’t my first language). It brings awareness to numerous important subjects and highlights issues I hadn’t paid enough attention before. I liked this book more than I expected.
But I liked this book. Even though it has too much yapping at times, I really sympathised with the characters, feeling what they were feeling at that moment: rage and infuriation at their fathers’s secrets, nervousness and suspicion with each new peace of information revealed. I even found the narrator relatable somehow.
Even though it’s not the vibe I expected to get I still pretty much enjoyed it. Read the entire book in a couple of sittings without getting tired of complicated vocabulary (English isn’t my first language). It brings awareness to numerous important subjects and highlights issues I hadn’t paid enough attention before. I liked this book more than I expected.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Ableism, Medical content, Grief, Racism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Rape and War
sparklefarm's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I love discovering new-to-me authors and loving them immediately. This was an excellent read - I was hooked and in suspense from the get-go. Philosophical, tense, and personal - not a mix I expected, but one I really enjoyed. The author's note was meaningful (although upon reflection made some of the philosophizing and reflection within the work a bit heavy-handed, although I don't know that I really minded). Highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Racism, Rape, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Ableism