Diving, Falling

It's never too late to rewrite your own story.

For years, Leila Whittaker has been the mediator in her family. She smoothes ruffled feathers between her sons; endures the volatile moods of their father, the acclaimed Australian artist Ken Black; and even swallows the bitter pill of Ken's endless affairs. All this, for the quiet hum of creative freedom her marriage provides. Or so she tells herself.

When Ken dies, leaving his artist's estate to their two sons, and the pointed amount of sixty-nine thousand dollars to his muse, Anita, Leila decides she's had enough. It's time to seek some peace (and pleasure) of her own ...

Diving, Falling is an elegant, exhilarating journey through grief, betrayal, and the intoxicating rediscovery of joy. Ripe with wickedly wry observations, unashamedly bold and sexy, it examines the calculations and sacrifices women make to keep the peace, escape their pasts, and find the agency to pursue their own passions.

'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

'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 cliches ... 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