Book Review of While We Were Burning by Sara Koffi

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book stats:

304 pages, to be published April 2024 (I received an Advanced Copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

you may enjoy this book if you like:

Contemporary Literature * Literature exploring race in America

travel inspiration:

While We Were Burning is set in Memphis, Tennessee.

about the author: Sara Koffi

While We Were Burning is Sara Koffi’s first novel. Koffi lives in Memphis and has a B.A. in English from Whittier College. According to her bio on her site, Koffi seeks to “explore the nuances of ‘unlikable female characters’ and humanize Black women by giving them space on the page to breathe.” I can say she absolutely accomplishes this in a stunning way with her first published novel.

review of while we were burning by sara koffi

Part thriller, part exploration of contemporary race issues in America, part mirror to our online selves, this novel is all heart and hard to put down. I tore through While We Were Burning in about two sittings in the course of 24 hours and found myself fascinated by the characters and the story. The tale is perhaps a tad melodramatic at times near the end, but it hovers in the realm of believable in the way that our online selves have created a society where there is more melodrama.

Elizabeth Smith lives in a nice, upper middle class Memphis community that is all networked online through a message board or app (think NextDoor). Her neighbors are do-gooder, not-in-my-background types who are concerned about the potential uptick in crimes in their safe neighborhood. Her marriage is boring, a tad under-utilized, and it’s clear that Elizabeth is trying to form a deeper connection with her neighbors and friends but is struggling. When she finds the body of her coworker and friend in what is quicky deemed a suicide, Elizabeth starts to spiral into her own theories which puts her squarely on the watch list of her husband and her therapist, who both consider Elizabeth’s theory of murder to be absurd and an indicator that she’s unhinged.

Across town, Brianna is reeling from the unexpected death of her young son and emotional loneliness that follows when her husband leaves to work through his grief on his own.

Soon, the stories of these two women collide when Elizabeth, seeking to appease her husband and therapist, hires a stranger as a personal assistant. Elizabeth and Brianna soon become close friends and start working together to figure out the truth behind her neighbor’s death.

While We Were Burning is an ode to regret and vigilante justice. The reader is in for a wild ride with twists and turns, and the novel should leave all readers contemplating the decisions they make and the unintended consequences that may follow.

I look forward to future works by Sara Koffi!

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