Jenniferreads

by Angie Kim

Mystery | 5 ⭐️ | 8/29/23 | Hogarth

Angie Kim’s sophomore novel “Happiness Falls” is an intricately woven story of a family in crisis when their father and husband fail to return from a hike. The only witness to the event is Eugene, the youngest sibling of the biracial Korean-American family. He arrives home bloody, scraped up and unable to tell his story due to a rare genetic condition called Angelman Syndrome.

This is a truly unique story of a mystery and family drama that is wrapped in and infused with philosophical pondering of love, language, and happiness. Angie Kim does a wonderful job exploring themes of human connection, trust, and shame. I loved the voice of the narrator, Mia, who provides a brutally honest and heartfelt viewpoint.

Overall, an extremely smart novel exploring a number of challenging themes in an extremely readable format. Readers of both mystery and literary fiction may enjoy this book.