Bookworm, Issue 9
The Book: Happiness Falls by Angie Kim
On page one of Happiness Falls, 20-year-old Mia Parkson asks, “(W)hy would you assume things can’t go wrong simply because they haven’t yet?” This sets the stage for the tragedy that will consume Mia and her tight-knit, Korean-American family, and it establishes our protagonist’s narratorial tone – smart, observant, opinionated and a bit impertinent – as she uncovers some family secrets.
The novel takes place in 2020 during the Covid pandemic. Mia and her twin brother John are home from college and living with their parents, Hannah Park and Adam Parson, and their 14-year-old brother Eugene in suburban Virginia. Eugene is autistic and has a rare genetic disorder called Angelman syndrome. He has motor difficulties, he can’t talk, and he’s the last person to see Adam Parson alive.
As the family grapples with Adam’s disappearance in the following days, they learn some unexpected things about each other. They are especially concerned about Eugene’s welfare; but while they are deeply devoted to one another, they’ve also made some assumptions that are about to be upended. Therefore, our wine pairing defies expectations, as well. It’s both made in a style and grown in a region that are atypical for this grape variety.
What sets this novel apart is how deftly author Angie Kim uses a compelling missing-person mystery to explore the complicated topic of intelligence. Eugene cannot speak, and so his thoughts are unknown to his family. Mia recognizes that she (and society) equates “verbal skills, especially oral fluency, with intelligence.” It’s clear that Kim is asking readers to reconsider this assumption, especially with regard to people with disabilities and immigrants. Because once someone is assumed to be less intelligent, they might be viewed as less worthy.
The author also tackles another big idea – happiness. Adam’s backpack is found near the park where he disappeared, and a notebook in it reveals some clues about his state of mind. It’s filled with case studies related to happiness and his thoughts and experiments regarding whether and how he can maximize happiness for his family. He theorizes about the relativity of happiness and how a low, everyday “baseline” might increase it. For anyone who has pondered happiness (myself included), this book is a fascinating and thought-provoking read.
Happiness Falls is smartly-written – Kim has crafted a clever story that delves into deep philosophical territory. It’s a novel with intellectual depth, touching on psychology, mathematics, music, medicine and linguistics, but it’s not daunting. It’s a mystery and a family drama, and so much more. It’s about relationships, love, trust and true connection. And the story is a powerful reminder to be mindful of our expectations and cautious of our tendencies to make assumptions – for things are rarely as they seem.
The Wine: Two Shepherds, Pinot Meunier, Russian River Valley AVA, 2021 $28.99
This wine is pale ruby. It has medium (+) intensity on the nose with youthful aromas of ripe red raspberry, cranberry, sour cherry jam, strawberry yogurt, coconut, hibiscus, red licorice, mint and mushroom.
It’s dry with medium (-) body. The wine has medium (+) acidity, medium (-) tannin and medium alcohol at 12% ABV. On the palate, flavors of fresh and ripe red fruits consistent with those found on the nose, plus a bit of earth and flowers, have medium (+) intensity. The wine has a medium (+) finish.
These Pinot Meunier grapes come from a 45-year-old, organically-farmed vineyard. The wine spent 8 months in neutral barrels before bottling.
Several weeks ago, I attended a wine tasting with Two Shepherds winemaker William Allen at South Lyndale Liquors in Minneapolis, MN. Allen is a thoughtful winemaker who favors a low intervention approach using minimal sulfur. He works with uncommon grape varieties, and his wines are fermented with native yeast and are unfined and unfiltered. I tasted seven of his wines, all of which were delicious, approachable and relatively low ABV.
Allen’s question to the class, “Does (this wine) make you smile?” This one certainly does. Serve it lightly chilled, around 55-60 F. If you live in the Twin Cities, the wine is available at Henry & Son.
Why the pairing works:
Happiness Falls is a book that is full of upended assumptions, so I’ve paired it with a wine that defies expectations. Our wine is 100% Pinot Meunier, and that’s unusual because Pinot Meunier is more commonly used as a blending grape in sparkling wines and is rarely produced as a varietal still wine.
In addition, this wine comes from California where relatively few vineyards are planted with Pinot Meunier. The grape variety is the tenth most commonly planted grape in France (27,387 acres in 2009), mostly in Champagne, where it is blended with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It is said to contribute “youthful fruitiness” to the traditional, three-grape-variety Champagne blend. As of 2010, there were only 163 acres of Pinot Meunier in California, where most of it is blended to produce sparkling wines.
Students of wine are often encouraged to practice tasting classic wines and grapes to become familiar with and then remember basic aroma, flavor and structural profiles. We’re learning what to expect; however, as we read in Happiness Falls, generalities can sometimes lead to inaccurate conclusions. So, when you’re tasting, it’s important to focus on the wine in your glass, expectations aside. Allow yourself to really smell it and taste it. Then check yourself against the common markers to see where your particular wine might differ or align.