Happiness Falls by Angie Kim (★★★★☆)
Mia’s father is missing. He took her younger brother, Eugene, to the park, and only Eugene returned, bloody and in a panic. Eugene is disabled, however, and cannot speak so the mystery remains: Is Mia’s father alive and hurt in the park? Did a freak accident happen and he’s dead? Did he just take up and leave his whole family and life? That’s the mystery at the heart of this novel, but this novel is not a mystery. It’s a complex family story about racial identity (Mia is Korean-American with a white father and a Korean mother), the disability community and how we treat those who are so-called “nonverbal,” the theory of happiness, and being the sibling of a disabled child. Kim sets this story in the summer of 2020, and the pandemic is a full-fledged character in the novel. For me, I liked the way different parts of the pandemic were included in the story, but YMMV. There were times when I found that Kim got a little bogged down in the details of the story she was trying to tell, but mostly, I was in awe of how she weaved so many complex plotlines so effortlessly. I loved this story and this family. I ached for them as they tried to find out what happened to their father. And I love the emphasis on the disability community, specifically the nonverbal community, and how all of us can be doing so much better by them. A novel I certainly recommend! (hardcover from Book of the Month, 2023)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (★★★★★)
I reread this beloved classic with a whole bunch of other bloggers, and it was such a delightful time! I originally read this book for the first time in 2018 and I was astonished at how much I forgot in just five short years (or long? I mean, there was a whole pandemic in the middle of those years). Francie Nolan is such a beloved character to me, though, and I enjoyed following along on her journey from a young girl living in poverty with her parents and younger brother to a young woman on her way to college with a sweet beau by her side. This book remains one of my all-time favorites. (paperback, 1943)
Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone (★★★★☆)
Ariel Pryce and her husband are newly married, and she joins him on a business trip to Lisbon. But the first morning they’re there, Ariel wakes up alone. Her husband is gone. There’s no note and he’s not answering his phone. What happened to him? And what will Ariel have to do to get him back? This thriller was a good one, and I found myself on the edge of my seat as I tried to figure out exactly what was going on. I liked all the twists and turns the book took and thought the final reveal to be so satisfying. However, I want to give a trigger warning that there is so much violence against women and sexual assault in this novel (including an on-page rape scene). All in all, a decent thriller that I would recommend if the trigger warnings aren’t dealbreakers for you. (library audiobook, 2022)
What are you reading?
Look everyone knows that ATGIB is a good book, we’ve all read it yada yada but I was blown away by HOW GOOD it really was. I’m sure that I would have gotten around to rereading it someday on my own, but to be able to read it with everyone else was a special experience.
I’m curious about Happiness Falls. I DNF’d her first book pretty early on, but I’ve heard good things about this one and I do like pandemic lit, so I think I need to at least give this one a chance.
Hmm… if you didn’t like Miracle Creek, I’m not sure how you’ll enjoy Happiness Falls. Miracle Creek was a 5-star read for me and this one is similar in tone/story.
Sounds like some good reading for you! I enjoyed revisiting A Tree Grows In Brooklyn – we need to do another blog book club sometime!
I loved our blog book club! I hope we can do it again.
Ooo, I learned something new when I looked up YMMV! Thanks! Happiness Falls sounds so well done, even with getting in to the weeds.
I am reading Woke Up Like This, my free Amazon Reads book for the month. I am ready to be done with it 😉
It was such an intricate but well-written story! I don’t think it will work for everyone, but I enjoyed it.
I am reading Happiness Falls now! Did you upgrade your rating? I was thinking that I saw that you gave it 3 stars on Goodreads and that kind of gave me pause as 3 stars is kind of middle of the road for me. I am enjoying the book so far! Next I will read ‘under the skin’ which is about racism in the medical community, I think. It’s our September book club book!
Good catch! I did upgrade my rating – after writing this review and sitting with the story for a bit, I realized I enjoyed the book more than I thought. A 3-star read is also middle of the road, but this definitely deserves at least 4 stars!
I loved ATGIB so much! I read it when I was in my late teens (I think?) but hardly remembered ANYTHING about it. I’m so glad Engie put that book club together!
Your other two books sound really good as well- I’ll see if I can get them from my library. Meanwhile a bunch of library holds just came in and An Unwanted Guest is one of them! I’m going to start it today.
Ooh, I can’t wait to hear what you think about An Unwanted Guest!
I miss book club more and more every week. 🙁