A review by bookwormmelissa
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

3.0

Thanks to Hogarth and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication. I read and enjoyed Miracle Creek, so I was looking forward to this new Angie Kim title about a father going missing while his nonspeaking son appears at the family home bloody and alone. This reminded me some of Miracle Creek + Gretchen Rubin's Happiness Project + True Biz by Sara Novic. The references to COVID moved the story along at key plot points without becoming a pandemic novel. This is a slow burn suspense about crisis, philosophy, family secrets, assumptions about others, race, and ableism. I myself got bogged down in some of the philosophy (the project the father was working on) and the very introspective writing style; however, at the same time those deep dives were so thought-provoking. Literary fiction fans and fans of Angie Kim will enjoy this and find much to discuss in book clubs. 3.5 stars.