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Laura Moriarty
While I’m Falling
A compelling depiction of how one young woman’s life changes when her family breaks up for good.
While I’m Falling: About
Ever since her parents announced that they’re getting divorced, Veronica has been falling. Hard. A junior in college, she has fallen in love. She has fallen behind in her difficult coursework. She hates her job as counselor at the dorm, and she longs for the home that no longer exists. When an attempt to escape the pressure, combined with bad luck, lands her in a terrifying situation, a shaken Veronica calls her mother for help–only to find her former foundation too preoccupied to offer any assistance at all.
But Veronica only gets to feel hurt for so long. Her mother shows up at the dorm with a surprising request–and with the elderly family dog in tow. Boyfriend complications ensue, along with her father’s sudden interest in dating. Veronica soon finds herself with a new set of problems, and new questions about love and independence.
Darkly humorous, beautifully written, and filled with crystalline observations about how families fall apart, While I’m Falling takes a deep look at the relationship between a daughter and a mother when one is trying to grow up and the other is trying to stay afloat.
While I’m Falling: About
“Moriarty slips inside the skin of a premed student disoriented by her parents’ divorce and her own fumbling attempts to live up to others’ expectations. In her careful and knowing hands, Veronica, Natalie and the rest emerge as characters readers will care about. Turn off the phone, lock the door and order takeout before opening this sweet, straight-through read that leaves no loose ends dangling.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Moriarty delves into this realistic but narrow world with an inviting honesty and creates a cast of vivid and flawed characters that will hold readers rapt with a queasy sense of unease.”
—Publisher’s Weekly
“The third time proves a charm for the author of The Center of Everything and The Rest of Her Life. Veronica’s story is told with a clarity and humor that make both her descent and her recovery believable.”
—Library Journal
“Here, Moriarty cleverly parallels Veronica’s story with that of her mother, Natalie, as both women struggle to get their lives back on track and define their futures on their own terms. Most of the novel centers on Veronica’s escalating crises, told through the college student’s occasionally petulant, sometimes naïve and completely convincing voice. A handful of chapters, however, offer glimpses into Natalie’s point of view, as readers come to discover not only the story behind her divorce but also the stakes involved with the kinds of choices Veronica is just beginning to make. While I’m Falling takes place over the course of just a few days, a condensed time frame that grants the novel additional intensity. Readers, too, will want to absorb the book in a concentrated period of time, as they find themselves absorbed in both Veronica and Natalie’s stories . . .”
—Bookreporter.com
“The conflicts, although they have broader social implications, are on a small scale. It’s Moriarty’s eye for detail and smart observations that elevate the novel above the level of mere domestic drama.”
—Dallas Morning News
While I’m Falling: Welcome
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