Angie Kim's multilayered, complex novel is a fascinating, how to put down read. Kim's literary writing is innovative and captivating. She captures the emotional roller coaster ride of Mia, a precocious, polymath college student. Mia is raised by bi-racial parents with her twin brother, John, and 14 year old brother, Eugene. Eugene was born with severe disabilities; diagnosed with autism and Angelman syndrome; a severe development disorder. He's unable to verbalize and lacks muscular control. Mia and John are home from college during Covid when Eugene returns alone from an outing with their dad, extremely agitated and caked in blood. It's shocking that Eugene returned by himself. Their father was Eugene's F/T caregiver and would never allow him to venture alone. Thus begins the turbulent mystery into the dad's disappearance. We traverse through a duplicitous police investigation through Mia's whip-smart mind Mia is bent on protecting her brother and family. Mia's endless questioning and explanations are a jolting, mind altering undertaking. The pandemic plays a major part in this disjointed time when everyone was quarantined and isolated. Mia's family becomes a fortress unto itself. Eugene becomes a prime suspect in his dad's disappearance. The attorney representing Eugene is devoted to defending children with special needs, Mistrust and miscommunication are the underlying thrust of this entrancing novel. It's disheartening to realize how difficult it is to truly understand another person and yet, how essential it is to make an effort to broker understanding. Mia's relentless quest to unravel her father's disappearance breaks into his cell phone. "I was so eager to unlock Dad's phone?...Because, at the end of the day, I believed him mostly, but not fully. And, I didn't fully trust Mom and John, either. And wasn't that-almost-but-not-quite-certain level of faith and trust, the need for eternal verification and objective proof..." Mia's cynicism wasn't without satirical humor. "I thought how sad it must be to be a lawyer, to see everything as potentially incriminating." As Mia and her family examine what may have taken place, they uncover an entryway into Eugene's consciousness. This was a seismic shift into his world and his family's. Shannon, Eugene's attorney tells the court, "Eugene Parkson is like any other person who needs an extra step to help their thoughts be understood by others." The novel also provides advice and metrics for establishing happiness by starting with a reasonably low bar. "We need to learn how to want what we have NOT to have what we want in order to get steady and stable Happiness." HAPPINESS FALLS is a dazzling delve into a dizzying array of convictions ranging from absolute to skeptical. There's little doubt as to the multitude of gifts befallen Kim's page turning novel. Kim instructs us, "Our brains are hardwired to want resolution." Although, she also advises "Don't overthink it."
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