Happiness Falls

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 page-turner, a deeply moving portrait of a family in crisis from the award-winning author of Miracle Creek.

"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.

Penguin Random House | Aug 29, 2023 | 416 pages | ISBN 9780593448205

1. What were your first impressions of each member of the Parkson family? How did your perceptions evolve over the course of the novel?

2. How would you describe Mia's voice as a narrator? Is she "reliable"? How would the book be different if Angie Kim had written it in the third person?

3. How did the structure of the book, including footnotes and charts, influence your reading experience?

4. Discuss the relationships between the Parkson siblings-and among the three of them. What do they learn about one another? How do you envision their relationships evolving after the events of the book?

5. Do you think it can be more difficult to see the people closest to us as they really are? Why or why not?

6. As Kim explores in Happiness Falls, we tend to equate oral fluency with intelligence (and vice versa). How did the character of Eugene challenge your assumptions about nonspeaking people?

7. How does race-including the perceived race of mixed-race characters-play into the novel? What biases and stereotypes must each character contend with?

8. Discuss Adam's Happiness Quotient project. Do you agree with his theories? What do you consider your baseline? Do you think it needs adjusting? Do you think it's possible to intentionally lower it? If so, do you think that would make you happier?

9. Do you think Adam was right to keep Eugene's progress from the rest of the family? Why or why not?

10. What did you think of the ending? What do you think really happened-did Eugene repeat parts of John and Mia's conversation, either subconsciously or intentionally? Was the note real? Do these answers matter?

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 page-turner, 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 READSBEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

"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)

"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

"A mystery that tugs at [your] heart."-The New York Times

"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

"A riveting, suspenseful read that doubles as a nuanced family tale."-Elle

"[A] deliciously brainy new thriller ... Happiness Falls dares to unlock the enigma of love at the molecular level while serving up a page-turner."-The Washington Post

"Both a page-turner and a meditation on a family in crisis ... full of gorgeous writing, surprising twists, and personal secrets."-USA Today

"With unexpected humor and aching tenderness, the bestselling author of Miracle Creek forces us to reckon with our definitions of family, ability, and happiness."-Oprah Quarterly

"Kim uses the parallel investigations of police and family to explore the complex dynamics of interracial marriage, Asian and biracial identity in America, and the nuances of raising a child with special needs. You'll want to savor every word as Kim plunges the depths of human action and finds love at the center."-CrimeReads

"A brilliant novel that has everything I want in fiction-great writing, fascinating characters, suspenseful storytelling, and thought-provoking themes. Readers are going to fall in love with Happiness Falls."-Imbolo Mbue, author of How Beautiful We Were

"I read Happiness Falls in a single day. I can't remember a book with more layers-this is a nuanced story about bias, language, ableism, racism, and family dynamics-but above all else this is a story with so many twists and turns I was riveted through the last page."-Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Happiness Falls is another superlative effort in what is fast shaping up to be a remarkable career."-#1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci

"Brilliant ... amazing ... the claim that a book will change your life often seems like exaggeration. Here the potential is real."-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"A philosophical family drama that is as page-turning as it is thought-provoking. Book groups will find much to discuss here, especially those who like Celeste Ng."-Booklist (starred review)

"A sublime literary mystery that is a mesmerizing update to the missing person story, a layered and innovative exploration of family, love, happiness, and race."-Jean Kwok, author of Searching for Sylvie Lee

"[A] revelatory masterpiece ... I stayed up half the night to finish this novel, and when I woke in the morning, I turned back to the first page to begin again."-Anthony Marra, author of Mercury Pictures Presents

"I began reading Happiness Falls expecting a murder mystery. What I got was the most moving and humbling portrait of humanity I've read in quite some time."-Mary Beth Keane, author of Ask Again, Yes

"Brilliant, immersive, and deeply moving ... a book that will change the way you think-a book that will change your life."-Julia Phillips, author of Disappearing Earth

"Happiness Falls ... keeps you thinking and guessing and feeling all at the same time."-Liz Moore, author of Long Bright River

"[A] page-turner about a missing man and a precise (and luminous) exploration of what it's like to be the teens he has left behind."-Chris Bohjalian, author of The Lioness