Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

HAPPINESS FALLS by Angie Kim (Miracle Creek) is one of the best fiction books I have read all year. That is largely because Kim makes her readers think. She is constantly challenging them – not just to solve a puzzle (and this novel has more than one), but also to re-evaluate prejudices and assumptions. The narrator here is Mia, twenty-year-old twin to John and big sister to 14-year-old Eugene who has been diagnosed with autism and a rare genetic disorder named Angelman syndrome. The entire family has adapted to Eugene’s situation, placing importance on rituals and routines like toothbrushing and family mealtimes. That is one reason it is so strange when the Dad does not come home from the park with Eugene. Mia’s voice in telling what happens over the next roughly 60 hours is extraordinary and very descriptive. Her thoughts are informative and educational, self-reflective, humorous, and troubling. She discusses being part of a biracial family, saying, “It's funny how being different from everyone else in a group can make you feel either isolated/insecure or special/important, depending on the social hierarchy of the trait in question.” Award-winning author Angie Kim has provided another fascinating look at family dynamics and the “shortcuts, cheats, cognitive biases, things we do and assume for efficiency, based on probabilities and statistics, instead of taking the time to figure it out.” HAPPINESS FALLS is highly recommended (and not just by me) – Angie Kim’s latest title is the Top LibraryReads pick for August 2023 and received starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus, plus praise from writers like Ann Napolitano (Hello Beautiful), Gabrielle Zevin (Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow), Julia Phillips (Disappearing Earth), Imbolo Mbue (Behold the Dreamers) and Mary Beth Keane (Ask Again, Yes). I just realized that is actually a great book group list! Enjoy them all.

In HAPPINESS FALLS the Mom, who has a PhD in applied linguistics, comments about “how we equate verbal skills, especially oral fluency, with intelligence.” Kim later poignantly writes “I think this is why I've written about people who have trouble expressing themselves in my fiction: because the bias against them is as painful and perplexing as anything I've encountered. Whether you're an immigrant, you stutter, or you have autism, aphasia, apraxia/dyspraxia, or Angelman syndrome -- there are so many reasons why you might have trouble speaking unrelated to the quality of your thoughts.” Kim provides a list of resources in her book and on her website for anyone interested in learning more.