Happiness Falls, by Angie Kim

 

Characters

Parkson family: Adam Parson – father Hannah Parks – mother Mia John Eugene – autism and mosaic Angelman syndrome   Detective Morgan Janus   Anjeli Rapari – speech therapist, Dad taking Eugene without telling family   Shannon Haug – lawyer   “TFT”- trainee speech therapist – ACC, augmented and alternate communication – PSW, physically supported writing   Vic – Mia’s boyfriend

 

NOTE: Page numbers are from 2024 paperback edition.

1.      This book has been described as a “multi-layered” mystery and a “missing person thriller” (back cover).   Is that how you would describe the book? 

2.      As you were reading, what did you think happened to Adam?

3.      Discuss the characters of Mia and John.  Do you think Eugene’s analysis was correct?  He told Anjeli that “John is too nice.  He says not talking doesn’t matter but that’s stupid. He’s a bit too much” (page 270).  He wrote of Mia, “A least Mia doesn’t hide.  She thinks being smart is what matters and I’m stupid and worthless” (page 271).

4.      Eugene and Adam had been working with Anjeli three times a week for eight months.  Why didn’t he eventually tell the family?

5.      What did you think about Adam’s “Happiness Quotient” ideas?   Did it make sense to you that the lower your expectations the greater happiness you will have?

6.      How did you feel about the footnotes?  Did you read them or skip them?

7.      What about the differences in how Mia and John were treated when they briefly moved to Korea?  Mia, who looked Korean, was thought to be stupid because she could not speak Korean but John, because he looked more American, was not expected to know the language.

8.      Did you like the science included in the book?  For example, did you know what Occam’s razor was?  The book defined it as “a problem-solving principle of thrift and parsimony” (page 351), meaning that “the simplest answer requiring the fewest assumptions is most likely correct” (page 351).  Had you heard of it before?  Does it apply to the answer of what happened to Adam?

9.      In the author’s notes, she wrote, “Our society – not just the US, but human society in general – equates verbal skills, especially oral fluency, with intelligence” (page 376).  Do you agree?   Will this book make you think differently about people who are not verbally fluent?

10.  What did you think about the difference between the terms “non-verbal” as opposed to “non-speaking?”

11.  When Eugene typed out the story on pages 323 – 324, a lot was from a conversation between Mia and John when Eugene was sleeping between them.  Did he hear and then repeat parts of their conversation?

12.  What did you think about the note between Dad and Eugene in Eugene’s dirty shorts pocket?  Mia was certain that she had washed the shorts.

13.  On page 365 Mia thought she had discovered Adam’s passcode for his phone.  What button do you think she pushed – the one she thought would open the phone or what she thought was the wrong one to permanently disable the phone?

14.  Did you like the fact that the mystery was not wrapped up in the end?  There are a lot of unanswered questions.

15.  Are you glad you read this book?  Did you enjoy the reading process?   Will you recommend it to others?