Happiness FallsHappiness Falls
What it's about
'We didn't call the police right away.' When the father of a biracial Korean American family in Virginia goes missing on a walk with his autistic son, Eugene, who can't speak, his twenty-year-old daughter, Mia, sets out to find out what happened, and the family learns how much they didn't know about him and each other.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. It's a gripping, moving family mystery.
You'll love it if you liked
The Measure
The Push
All the Dangerous ThingsGood to know
It's a mystery and a family drama.
By the numbers
- Readers1 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller29 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
On our reserve shelf: it's well reviewed, but isn't currently a prize winner, a lifetime bestseller or a book everyone's talking about, so we don't rank it. We check again every month, and it can still turn up in your 50 once you've read most of our ranked books.
Why it made the list
Reads as
Gripping, Thought-provoking
If you like this, read next
The Mountain in the Sea
The Corrections
The Yiddish Policemen's Union
Remarkably Bright Creatures
The Tainted Cup
The Frozen RiverExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Happiness Falls worth reading?
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. Its Must-Read Score is 51.2 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Happiness Falls about?
'We didn't call the police right away.' When the father of a biracial Korean American family in Virginia goes missing on a walk with his autistic son, Eugene, who can't speak, his twenty-year-old daughter, Mia, sets out to find out what happened, and the family learns how much they didn't know about him and each other.
How long does it take to read Happiness Falls?
About 10 hours (401 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Happiness Falls?
If you liked it, try The Measure by Nikki Erlick, The Push by Ashley Audrain or All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham.