Where to Start with Angie Kim
Because Angie Kim writes standalone novels and standalone short stories, there is no strict chronological continuity or recurring characters to worry about. You can read her books in any order you choose. However, if you are looking for the absolute best way to experience her catalog, we recommend starting with her sensational debut, Miracle Creek, before moving on to her sophomore bestseller, Happiness Falls.
Starting with her debut allows you to see the evolution of her unique signature style: combining a page-turning mystery with deep psychological insight, immigrant family dynamics, and a brilliant deconstruction of how we communicate with each other. If you prefer shorter reads, you can also dip your toes into her work with her contribution to the multi-author anthology series, Good Intentions.
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
If you prefer to read in the order the books were written and published, here is the chronological release order for Angie Kim's standalone novels:
- Miracle Creek (2019)
- Happiness Falls (2023)
Miracle Creek (2019)
Set in a small Virginia town, Miracle Creek is a tense courtroom drama that begins with a tragedy: an explosion at a hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) unit called the Miracle Submarine. The chamber is used by an immigrant Korean family to treat patients with various medical conditions, including autism and infertility. The explosion kills two people, and the subsequent murder trial exposes the dark, raw secrets of the tight-knit group of parents and caregivers. Drawing from Kim's own background as a trial lawyer and her personal experience using hyperbaric chamber therapy for her son, the novel is a brilliant exploration of parental guilt, the immigrant experience, and the legal system.
Happiness Falls (2023)
Kim’s second novel is an instant New York Times bestseller that follows a biracial Korean American family in Virginia after their father goes missing. The only witness to his disappearance is his nonverbal teenage son, Eugene, who has autism and Angelman syndrome. The story is narrated by Eugene’s hyper-analytical, footnote-loving twenty-year-old sister, Mia. As the family searches for answers, they are forced to confront their own biases about intelligence, oral fluency, and communication. It is a profound, deeply touching mystery that challenges how we view individuals who cannot speak.
The "Good Intentions" Anthology Series
In 2023, Amazon Original Stories released a collection of seven standalone short stories titled Good Intentions, exploring the diverse experiences of motherhood. Angie Kim is often associated with the entire collection in library databases, but she only wrote one specific story within it. The other stories were written by different bestselling authors.
Here is the list of stories in the collection, with Angie Kim's contribution highlighted:
- The Road Home by Kristin Harmel (2023)
- Poppy's Story by Kristina McMorris (2023)
- The Magician by Rebecca Serle (2023)
- A Planned Occasion by Angie Kim (2023)
- Mother Country by Etaf Rum (2023)
- The Days Before Us by Sejal Badani (2023)
- Deluge by Charmaine Wilkerson (2023)
A Planned Occasion (2023) by Angie Kim
Angie Kim’s standalone contribution, A Planned Occasion, is a moving short story about a Korean immigrant widow who discovers a long-forgotten picnic basket in her closet. The discovery prompts her to recreate a picnic she had planned but missed with her late husband. Like her longer novels, this story is rich with themes of grief, memory, cultural identity, and the quiet moments that define a marriage.
What to Know Before You Start Reading
Before you dive into Angie Kim’s writing, here are a few structural and thematic elements that set her books apart:
- Thematic Connections: While the books do not share characters, they share deep thematic DNA. Both novels take place in Virginia, feature Korean American families, explore the complexities of parenting children with special needs (such as autism), and utilize mystery elements to explore deeper philosophical questions.
- Unique Narrators: Kim likes to play with narrative structure. In Miracle Creek, she uses a multi-POV structure to build tension in the courtroom. In Happiness Falls, she uses a single narrator (Mia) who uses conversational footnotes to explain her thought processes, scientific theories, and family history.
- Slow-Burn Mysteries: Though marketed as thrillers or mysteries, Kim’s books are deeply literary. They focus heavily on character development, ethical dilemmas, and domestic drama rather than action-packed chases.
- Factual Grounding: Kim research-intensive approach means you will learn a lot about specific topics, whether it is the mechanics of hyperbaric oxygen chambers or the differences between typing-to-communicate and oral speech.