Sara Koffi is a writer and editor from Memphis, Tennessee, with a B.A. in English from Whittier College. As a writer, she strives to explore the nuances of "unlikable female characters" and humanize Black women by giving them space on the page to breathe. While We Were Burning is her debut novel.
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“Fast paced and thrilling, While We Were Burning is also
heartbreaking in its portrayal of a grieving mother forced to
confront both the person who caused her son’s death and the
systemic injustice that led to it. I was riveted the whole way
through.” —Ana Reyes, author of The House in the Pines
“While We Were Burning is the fresh take on the domestic thriller
we need right now, a provocative observation of racism and classism
embedded within a searing, fast-paced revenge story....This is more
than a riveting suspense about two women who form a tenuous
friendship—it’s a page-turner with serious things to say about who
gets to be a victim and what justice looks like.” —Ashley Winstead,
author of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife
“Sara Koffi’s While We Were Burning opens with an epigraph citing
Kimberly Jones: 'They’re lucky Black people are looking for
equality and not revenge.' That—and a yearning, tempestuous
prologue—sets the tone for the vivid tale that
follows.” —Elle
“While We Were Burning, like any good thriller, is a page-turner,
with the twists, moments of deceit, and plots for revenge that you
expect—but enveloped within the thrills are explorations of race,
class, justice, and female relationships that stay with the reader
long after the shocks of the plot have worn off.” —Memphis
Magazine
“While We Were Burning is a dynamic read that quickly thrusts the
reader into a well-curated tale that centers on class, race, female
friendship, grief, social justice, and the notion that nothing is
ever as it first appears…This suspenseful novel not only explores
grief, but also examines justice, motives, and the deeply flawed
nature of humans, despite often meaning well.” —Essence
"A masterful accounting of the weight of things unspoken. While We
Were Burning rams headlong into issues of class, privilege, and
race with a cast of characters deeply flawed and richly complex.
This is a story at once poignant, propulsive, and powerful. Sara
Koffi has delivered a remarkable debut." —David Joy, author of
Those We Thought We Knew
“A riveting page-turner…Koffi's fresh, bold, and sharp prose sweeps
you right into the murky gray spaces and wide spectrum of
conflicting human emotion filled with messy characters. This is the
type of contemporary fiction I crave—raw, original, and
unapologetic. Gasp-inducing scenes, sensational twists, and
brilliant writing make While We Were Burning one unforgettable and
unputdownable debut not to miss.” —Lọlá Ákínmádé Åkerström, author
of In Every Mirror She’s Black
“[A] well-plotted cat-and-mouse thriller…Koffi has used the
thriller genre with great effect for the prescient critique on the
petty resentments and deliberate ignorance that underpin our racist
power structure.” —Crime Reads
"A scorching revenge tale set in Memphis." —Paste
“With notes of Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte, and Othello, Sara
Koffi’s While We Were Burning is a searing debut with a complex and
compelling dual narration that dares readers to question their own
perspectives on every day, casual racism…. Author Koffi, who hails
from Memphis herself, seeks to explore unlikable female characters
and ‘humanize Black women by giving them space on the page to
breathe.’ Hopefully, this accomplished debut is the first of many
books where she will have the opportunity to do just
that….Beginning and ending with a bang, with a host of grisly
surprises in between, While We Were Burning provokes deep thought
and frustration, posing the fervent, urgent question: When will
justice truly be served?” —BookPage (starred review)
"Gripping...Koffi's characters are electric with
passions." —Booklist
“A politically aware thriller from a passionate rookie
author.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Themes of suburban ennui, casual racism, and mental health
struggles are well explored.” —Publishers Weekly
"Sara Koffi’s fast-paced debut thriller packs commentary on racism,
police brutality, and inequality…the pace is stunningly lively; the
plot is workmanlike; and the characters are complex enough to
surprise and enlighten." —Chapter 16
"A gripping thriller that provides a nuanced portrait of two very
damaged women, both obsessed with uncovering the truth. Sara
Koffi’s genius lies in her refusal to ignore the sociocultural
aspects of their situations as women of different races and social
classes living in the American South....An excellent, unflinching
look at the state of race relations in America today." —Criminal
Element
"Sara Koffi's debut is an absolute banger of a book with so much
bite that the ending left me with an audible gasp and a hand over
my mouth. Confident and cunning, While We Were Burning presents a
scorchingly smart tale of revenge that's worthy of a one-day binge.
Seriously, cancel your plans." —Rachel Koller Croft, author of
Stone Cold Fox
“Sara Koffi's While We Were Burning gives voice to the living and
to the dead in a multiracial America....Koffi's cogent, unclouded
depiction of Black and White lives along many spectrums of choice
and consequence carry this Hitchockian novel to a fitting but
still astonishing crescendo. Above all, While We Were Burning
achieves an all-embracing contemporary story of the risks of
friendship and love for us all.” —Kalisha Buckhanon, author of
Speaking of Summer
“An incendiary debut by a powerful new voice, While We Were Burning
is a chilling and deliciously dark novel that explores the
transformative crucible of grief and the impossibilities of
reckoning with loss. It kept me guessing until the end and haunted
me for long after.” —Ling Ling Huang, author of Natural Beauty
"Koffi's writing hits hard and shines with a boldness and
unflinching honesty in every word. While We Were Burning is a
brilliant debut novel that captivated me with every twist, turn and
detail on the page." —Kit Mayquist, author of Tripping Arcadia
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