"There is a pleasingly frosty quality to this debut . Elegant, biting writing." --Sian Cain, The Guardian "I just loved it . Bravo, Kylie. What a marvellous debut." --Caroline Overington, Weekend Australian "There''s much that''s new and very charming about Mirmohamadi''s approach to the after-marriage novel, particularly Leila herself, and her determination to tear up the scripts given to older women, to grieving women, to wealthy women, to mothers, to women artists; to tear them all up and write a new set of stories to live by." --Catriona Menzies-Pike, The Guardian "Much of the novel''s narrative propulsion comes from the unfolding of Leila''s multi-faceted character. She is a complex woman on many levels .
As a psychological drama, it forensically dissects complex relationships, in a fresh style devoid of clichés . Mirmohamadi''s writing was a high point for me. She is especially masterful at crafting nuance in interpersonal encounters . The prose is immersive and insightful, with layers of deep universal understandings that perhaps only art--including literature--can deliver." --Jane Turner Goldsmith, The Conversation "Diving, Falling is a raw, painful, and poignant story about the celebration of a loss and what comes after it . perfect for fans of Sigrid Nunez and Tessa Hadley." --Vasilia Nerouppos, Readings "An absolutely immersive art-world family drama . Diving, Falling is another woman-in-midlife-crisis novel, joining Miranda July''s All Fours and Emily Perkins'' Lioness in depicting a woman in her forties or fifties who has structured her life around serving others rather than prioritizing her own desires.
Mirmohamadi has created a vivid, alternately alluring and repelling world, beautifully detailed with artwork, architecture and intricately imagined relationships. I can''t remember a recent novel I''ve more thoroughly enjoyed." --Jo Case, InReview "A masterclass in rendering all the many dimensions of the human heart." --Porochista Khakpour, author of Tehrangeles "Mirmohamadi writes evocatively about the contrasting landscapes and moods of Sydney and Leila''s native Melbourne. Her rendering of family and friendship dynamics in the aftermath of grief and betrayal is wry and nuanced." --Justine Hyde, The Saturday Paper "Diving, Falling explores women''s autonomy and the standards they''re held to that men are not, while also diving into the complexities of imperfect relationships, questioning whether couples can have a true and accepting understanding of each other. This novel is for readers of Siri Hustvedt, Sigrid Nunez and Tessa Hadley, and for readers who love "begin again" stories, untangling the complexities of relationships, and seeing women rail against double standards." --Danielle Bagnato, Books+Publishing "This is both a subtle and complex novel .
it''s absorbing and entertaining, but also extremely thought provoking. Readers may feel invited to re-examine their own lives and relationships." --Other Dreams, Other Lives "This is a debut novel, but Mirmohamadi is no ingenue. Her writing is tight, the pacing is superb, and her characterisations are exquisite. This novel is a must-read." --Bob Moore, Good Reading "Diving, Falling, the debut novel from Kylie Mirmohamadi, charts the exhilarating rollercoaster of emotions that accompany grief . Diving, Falling also examines the roles of women in society and everything expected of them to placate the men around them. This is a novel that teases apart gender disparity and idealized gender role and the ways certain people are placed on pedestals, with their genius celebrated and their flaws ignored .
Diving, Falling is an unashamed look at responses to grief and the rebuilding of a life from the remnants of what remains. It empowers women to take back their lives and become who they have always wanted to be." --Ashleigh Meikle, Arts Hub "Diving, Falling is a book set in the inconceivably large shadow cast by a volatile patriarch, even after death. It''s an intense subject for a debut, but one that Kylie Mirmohamadi handles well . Diving, Falling is a fascinating portrait of the complexities of grief, especially when the person lost was radically imperfect but immensely popular." --Keeping Up With The Penguins "Reaching a crossroads point in your life is both liberating and hugely disquieting at the same time . Kylie Mirmohamadi''s brilliant novel, Diving, Falling, understands this intimately and with a quiet intensity . Mirmohamadi writes with a thoughtful and assured ease, imbuing Diving, Falling with rich, raw, and honest humanity.
" --SparklyPrettyBriiiight "The writing is luscious, evocative, compelling, emotive, relatable . an evocative exploration of grief and family, of women''s role is society, of the construct of marriage and the double standards--domestic and public that women are constrained by. This feminist read is also about joy, rediscovering self, art, and life. Complex, flawed characters, luscious, compelling writing, what more could you want?" --Carol Seeley, Reading, Writing and Riesling.