Angie Kim: Happiness Falls

Bookreporter Talks To

Angie Kim joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about her new novel, HAPPINESS FALLS, which packs so much between its pages. It’s a family story with a mystery woven through. And much of the book revolves around the young son, Eugene, who has Angelman syndrome --- and what he may know about the disappearance of their father/husband.

Angie talks about how long this story was in her head --- more than a decade --- and why she felt that this was the right time to tell it. She notes that she aimed to look at the impact of someone who is verbally disabled on the entire family. And she wanted to address how those who are different may be in jeopardy when being looked at by law enforcement as they would not be attuned to things like Eugene’s jumping to calm himself or the verbal noises he makes. These cues could keep someone who is disabled from protecting themselves. She also discusses her creative writing work with students who have issues with oral communication and shares how the person who performs Eugene’s part for the audiobook was hand-selected by her from among this group.

Book discussed in this episode:

HAPPINESS FALLS by Angie Kim

https://www.bookreporter.com/reviews/happiness-falls

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Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald

Edited by Jordan Redd Productions