Sarah Strong's previous novel, Burning the Sea, was published by Alyson Books in 2002. She is also the poetry editor for The New Haven Review, and her poetry has appeared in journals such as The Southwest Review, The Southern Review, Cream City Review, Spoon River Poetry Review, RATTLE, and The Sun. She lives in New Haven with her husband and daughter.

Set in suburban Connecticut in 1983, The Fainting Room is about a young girl with a Philip Marlowe alter ego who becomes involved in a bizarre and ultimately destructive love triangle with a troubled married couple who take her in for the summer.