Critical Praise

“Valente’s beautiful, elegiac novel about a community in mourning, and the unseen forces that unravel and consume us after a tragedy, is a work of heartbreaking timeliness.”

—J. Ryan Stradal, New York Times bestselling author of KITCHENS OF THE GREAT MIDWEST

“Haunting... Written in the collective voice...à la Jeffrey Eugenides’s THE VIRGIN SUICIDES, Valente artfully employs...newspaper articles, and biographies of the victims on the way to an unforgettable ending, with fire serving as a powerfully fitting metaphor for grief, loss...and the nature of fate.”

—Publishers Weekly

“OUR HEARTS WILL BURN US DOWN is a beautifully written, lyrical book wrapped up in a compelling mystery with shades of Stephen King. Gripping and profound, a terrific debut.”

—Kate Hamer, author of THE GIRL IN THE RED COAT