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suzydunk's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Bullying, Pandemic/Epidemic, Death of parent, Racism, Rape, Death, Racial slurs, and Sexual assault
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
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? Yes
4.0
I was very excited to picked up this book because I read and really enjoyed "Miracle Creek" by Angie Kim a few years ago.
"Happiness Falls" is an exploration of family, and about truly accepting everything about a person. When Mia's father does not come home with her autistic brother after hiking, the family is not too concerned. But, when they have not heard from him and cannot get ahold of him, they quickly begin to worry. Unfortunately, the only witness to what happened on the hiking trail is Eugene, and he is nonverbal. When the family bans together to try to find this father, they uncover years of secrets that may end up explaining where he went.
This was such an exceptional story about family and accepting people as they are. Eugene is nonverbal, and has been his whole life, but that does not mean he has nothing to say. He as a beautiful mind and is capable of great things, he just needs the right tools and support to encourage him to communicate. I think this is such a profound message. Communication is often what connects human beings to one another, and it is so important to encourage any and all ways of communicating.
This family, like many others, has secrets they are all keeping from one another. I think this book highlights the good that sharing the burden of your thoughts with those closest to you can bring.
I really enjoyed that this book was about more than the disappearance. Their father disappearing was just the catalyst to uncover more important thoughts and feelings.
I will definitely be reading more from Angie Kim in the future.
"Happiness Falls" is an exploration of family, and about truly accepting everything about a person. When Mia's father does not come home with her autistic brother after hiking, the family is not too concerned. But, when they have not heard from him and cannot get ahold of him, they quickly begin to worry. Unfortunately, the only witness to what happened on the hiking trail is Eugene, and he is nonverbal. When the family bans together to try to find this father, they uncover years of secrets that may end up explaining where he went.
This was such an exceptional story about family and accepting people as they are. Eugene is nonverbal, and has been his whole life, but that does not mean he has nothing to say. He as a beautiful mind and is capable of great things, he just needs the right tools and support to encourage him to communicate. I think this is such a profound message. Communication is often what connects human beings to one another, and it is so important to encourage any and all ways of communicating.
This family, like many others, has secrets they are all keeping from one another. I think this book highlights the good that sharing the burden of your thoughts with those closest to you can bring.
I really enjoyed that this book was about more than the disappearance. Their father disappearing was just the catalyst to uncover more important thoughts and feelings.
I will definitely be reading more from Angie Kim in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Police brutality
Minor: Violence, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
jj_tj's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Ableism
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Bullying, Suicide, and Cancer
serendipitysbooks's review
emotional
informative
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
5.0
Happiness Falls was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it did not disappoint.
Adam is the father of a Korean-American family. One day he doesn’t return home after an outing with his 14 year old son Eugene. Eugene is clearly very agitated and upset, but has autism and Angelman syndrome and is unable to communicate via speech or writing.
As a mystery I found it to be propulsive. The pacing was perfect with foreshadowing and unexpected surprises at the end of many chapters compelling me to read just one more.
But what I loved most was the depth of this novel particularly in terms of the characters. They were all distinct individuals, richly realised. Adam was not just a missing father but a stay-at-home Dad totally engrossed in the science of happiness and conducting experiments on his family members. Much of this was folded into the novel adding an extra layer to the story. Twenty year old Mia narrates the novel. She is also neurodivergent which adds a unique tone to the novel, one of almost detached logic. This won’t be to everyone’s taste but I found it effective.
I thought the character of Eugene and his disabilities were handled with nuance, care, and compassion. The ableism of his family was highlighted and the impact this had on him showcased in a very powerful way. His story was a salutary reminder that just because someone struggles to communicate it does not indicate that their intellect is impaired. I also respected Kim for acknowledging that raising a child with a disability can place extra pressure on a family and that sibling feelings may be complicated, none of which detracts from the love they feel for the person with the disability.
Lots of other threads to this novel as well including family and relationship issues, and the benefits and struggles of being bicultural. Kim’s writing kept me engaged throughout and I especially appreciated her use of footnotes as a vehicle for Mia to share just a little bit more. The use of charts added another textual element, something I tend to enjoy. There was lots of science and philosophy folded into the story. I was educated and entertained, made to think as well as feel which I loved.
Adam is the father of a Korean-American family. One day he doesn’t return home after an outing with his 14 year old son Eugene. Eugene is clearly very agitated and upset, but has autism and Angelman syndrome and is unable to communicate via speech or writing.
As a mystery I found it to be propulsive. The pacing was perfect with foreshadowing and unexpected surprises at the end of many chapters compelling me to read just one more.
But what I loved most was the depth of this novel particularly in terms of the characters. They were all distinct individuals, richly realised. Adam was not just a missing father but a stay-at-home Dad totally engrossed in the science of happiness and conducting experiments on his family members. Much of this was folded into the novel adding an extra layer to the story. Twenty year old Mia narrates the novel. She is also neurodivergent which adds a unique tone to the novel, one of almost detached logic. This won’t be to everyone’s taste but I found it effective.
I thought the character of Eugene and his disabilities were handled with nuance, care, and compassion. The ableism of his family was highlighted and the impact this had on him showcased in a very powerful way. His story was a salutary reminder that just because someone struggles to communicate it does not indicate that their intellect is impaired. I also respected Kim for acknowledging that raising a child with a disability can place extra pressure on a family and that sibling feelings may be complicated, none of which detracts from the love they feel for the person with the disability.
Lots of other threads to this novel as well including family and relationship issues, and the benefits and struggles of being bicultural. Kim’s writing kept me engaged throughout and I especially appreciated her use of footnotes as a vehicle for Mia to share just a little bit more. The use of charts added another textual element, something I tend to enjoy. There was lots of science and philosophy folded into the story. I was educated and entertained, made to think as well as feel which I loved.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Ableism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Bullying
markedwithanm's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Ableism, Grief, and Pandemic/Epidemic
lilawsahar's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
God I learned so much from this book. I am destroyed that Eugene lived for 14 years without being able to communicate because he doesn’t have fine motor skills and his disability enables him to speak. How did he wake up each day knowing that he was going to be treated like an idiot and he had to continue on? The realization that people live like this in real life is gut wrenching. And how I contributed to this idea. Not treating people with disabilities as equals. Makes me sick. Everyone needs to read this book. It blew me away with that insight alone.
I am also utterly sick that we will never know what happened to their dad. Did Eugene kill him? We will never know especially since she put the wrong passcode in the cell phone. I wouldn’t have done that. They don’t know who Eugene is because he wasn’t able to communicate with them. But Eugene knows them. That’s gut wrenching to me. What happened to him??
Tbh I think the happiness quotient part was unneeded in the story. That’s just my take. He just wanted his daughter to have a good life. But the story isn’t able her. It’s able Eugene and him.
Also ACAB.
Tbh I think the happiness quotient part was unneeded in the story. That’s just my take.
Also ACAB.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic, Death, Bullying, Confinement, and Police brutality
Minor: Sexism, Rape, and Racism
rachelkreadsbookz's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying
killerpancake's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
This one hits so hard. I have to spoiler tag what I loved though because it's a bit spoilery. I would recommend going in knowing as little as possible.
The author weaves the themes of language and communication so deftly in this book. Knowing how damaging it is to people who live without the ability to communicate and the tangable damage it does slices my heart into peaces.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Rape and War
annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
4.0
i loved the narration. i understand why it isn't for everyone, but my brain works in the same way so i felt at home. i also appreciated how this book advocated much more strongly for the humanity of its characters with disabilities than Miracle Creek (Angie Kim's debut novel) did. and that it took place during covid times. my main issues were that, compared to Miracle Creek, the plot:
- wasn't as gripping. it started to drag three-fourths of the way through, and i got fed up with all the cheap foreshadowing of the form "looking back, i wish [x] hadn't happened".
- didn't feel as expertly-crafted. though i recognize that's kind of the point—
not all mysteries, especially missing person cases, have neat solutions; that's life —it was still somewhat disappointing. i'm trying tolearn the lesson Mia did and accept an open ending—i choose to believe that her and John's mind-meld recreating the accident was a display of fraternal jeong, just the tiniest bit of magical realism.
nonetheless, this has cemented Angie Kim as an author on my radar, and i'm looking forward to her next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Ableism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Cancer, Violence, Infidelity, Police brutality, Sexism, Suicide, Bullying, Blood, Hate crime, Murder, Cursing, Terminal illness, and Xenophobia
Minor: Sexual violence, Confinement, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Rape, Car accident, Deportation, and Gun violence
liamliayaum's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Racism
Minor: Death of parent