Happiness Falls (Good Morning America Book Club)

A Novel

By: Angie Kim

Narrated by: Shannon Tyo, Sean Patrick Hopkins, Thomas Pruyn, Angie Kim

Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • When a father goes missing, his family’s desperate search leads them to question everything they know about him and one another in this thrilling work, a deeply moving portrait of a family in crisis from the award-winning author of Miracle Creek.

OPRAH DAILY’S #1 NOVEL OF THE YEAR • ONE OF PEOPLE’S TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR • A WASHINGTON POST, BOOKPAGE, KIRKUS REVIEWS, NEW YORK POST, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, BOOK RIOT, CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY, REAL SIMPLE, CRIMEREADS, AND SHE READS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Belletrist Book Club Pick • Finalist for the New American Voices Award • “This is a story with so many twists and turns I was riveted through the last page.”—Jodi Picoult

“A brilliant, satisfying, compassionate mystery that is as much about language and storytelling as it is about a missing father. I loved this book.”—Gabrielle Zevin, author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

“I fell in love with the fascinating, brilliant family at the center of this riveting book.”—Ann Napolitano, author of Hello Beautiful

“We didn’t call the police right away.” Those are the electric first words of this extraordinary novel about a biracial Korean American family in Virginia whose lives are upended when their beloved father and husband goes missing.

Mia, the irreverent, hyperanalytical twenty-year-old daughter, has an explanation for everything—which is why she isn’t initially concerned when her father and younger brother Eugene don’t return from a walk in a nearby park. They must have lost their phone. Or stopped for an errand somewhere. But by the time Mia’s brother runs through the front door bloody and alone, it becomes clear that the father in this tight-knit family is missing and the only witness is Eugene, who has the rare genetic condition Angelman syndrome and cannot speak.

What follows is both a ticking-clock investigation into the whereabouts of a father and an emotionally rich portrait of a family whose most personal secrets just may be at the heart of his disappearance. Full of shocking twists and fascinating questions of love, language, and human connection, Happiness Falls is a mystery, a family drama, and a novel of profound philosophical inquiry. With all the powerful storytelling she brought to her award-winning debut, Miracle Creek, Angie Kim turns the missing-person story into something wholly original, creating an indelible tale of a family who must go to remarkable lengths to truly understand one another.

©2023 Angie Kim (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK

BELLETRIST BOOK CLUB PICK

FINALIST FOR THE NEW AMERICAN VOICES AWARD

OPRAH DAILY’S #1 NOVEL OF THE YEAR • A WASHINGTON POST, BOOKPAGE, KIRKUS REVIEWS, NEW YORK POST, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, BOOK RIOT, CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY, CRIMEREADS, AND SHE READS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

“One of the smartest, most multi-layered mysteries of the year . . . Deftly crafted and truly riveting, this novel about heartache and hope, the author’s second, proves Kim is a powerful voice that’s here to stay.”—The Boston Globe

“Angie Kim’s powerhouse of a novel offers a probing exploration of the intersection of communication, speech and intelligence that not only gives voice to a silenced population but concludes with a fantastic twist.”—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“This riveting missing-person thriller is really a meditation on happiness that illuminates the power of language and challenges readers’ stereotypes.”—People (Book of the Week)

Kept me engaged

This was a great story, had many layers that were interesting, and you want to keep going to find out everything. The only big negative was one of the voices. I’m not sure it was fair to the character. The rest was great.

Enjoyable and educational

I enjoyed the story and voice performances. I also learned a lot about non speakers.

Great read!

Having worked with many non verbal children this story hit home. This story was one of hope for all non speakers.

Good perspective

This story gave a lot of great perspectives from the world of people with disabilities. It was a little slow for me but overall a good read.

Happiness Review

The ending was a little slow. I did appreciate the perspective that non verbal is not ID

Just Too Academic For Me!!!

I started off really enjoying the narration and the story itself, but several hours in, I honestly became pretty bored with the some of the writing… Parts read more like a textbook or a self help book and not like a novel. It simply did not keep me engaged, and so I finally gave up on it at around chapter 15.

I loved the view of the daughter reading the book.

This book was a page turner and had all the emotions of a great read!

Very interesting book, really great

Great story and narration. I learned a lot about autism and the other disorders that were discussed in the story. It really made me think more about happiness.

Great story

More than just a mystery. I learned a lot from listening to this book and it definitely made me think.

Great book

Enjoyed the story and narration. A mystery with an educational storyline and good character development.