Sarah grew up on Long Island and went to college in Waterville, Maine, where she published her first story, "Sick People". She got her MFA in creative writing from Columbia University, and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Her influences include Russell Banks, Ray Bradbury, Philip K Dick, Shirley Jackson, Stephen King, Kelly Link, W Somerset Maugham, Lorrie Moore, Joyce Carol Oates, Peter Straub, Eudora Welty, the films of Ingmar Bergman and Will Ferrell, all media relating to Rodney Dangerfield, the movie The Jerk, and the band The Eels.

In addition to writing novels, she is also pursuing her Master's in Environmental Health Science/Toxicology at New York University.