Happiness Falls - Angie Kim - Top Book Pick!

Fiction

Rating: 9/10

“We didn’t call the police right away”. And so begins this gripping story of a family whose lives are upended when their beloved father and husband goes missing. And if that leaves you thinking this is a mystery, that’s just a mere sliver of what’s in store for the reader. It’s also a dynamic family drama and a compelling examination into the meaning of happiness.

When Eugene, who has Angelman syndrome, which leaves him unable to speak, returns from his daily walk with his dad alone, Mia assumes her father can’t be far behind. After hours pass, she realizes something is very wrong. Along with her twin brother and mother, they attempt to piece together what happened on that walk. The discovery of her father’s research into happiness leads them to contemplate, if you are already happy, do you become obsessed with happiness, trying to maximize it and calibrate it? Would you do all that analysis unless it was elusive to you? And what might you do if you realized you didn’t feel it?

When information about what was really going on during these walks and how it relates to Eugene’s condition are discovered, we are gifted with even greater complexity and depth in a book that already has an abundance of it.

Aside from the family interactions, there is a lot to think about here. How do we define a good, worthwhile life? How do we equate verbal skills with intelligence? How does language shape, or distort, our interpretations of truth and value?

A deeply moving and deliciously brainy story, beautifully told. With a cast of finely wrought characters, bursting with idiosyncrasies and strong opinions. What’s not to love!

Book Pairing(s): Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, Miracle Creek by Angie Kim, Spark Of Light by Jodi Picoult