April 2023

It’s true joy when an author whose debut novel was a Bets On pick (FLORENCE ADLER SWIMS FOREVER) follows up with a book that I similarly want to rave about. Rachel Beanland’s THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE is a well-written, immersive work of historical fiction. Years ago, when Rachel moved to Richmond, her realtor showed her around town citing the location of a theater fire that killed a number of the city’s residents in 1811. This nugget stayed with her, and when the pandemic limited her travel, she moved on to do deep research into the fire, its origins and the aftermath.

The fire occurs the night after Christmas when Richmond is busy with plantation owners on holiday before the planting and harvesting season, which consumes most of the year. Going to the theater is a popular social activity in town, and with the Charleston-based Placide & Green Company performing, the place is packed. While the elite and wealthy sit in the boxes high up and on the side, there is a gallery where the colored attendees watch the performance. The stairwells from the upper levels are clogged with patrons, and as the smoke rises quickly, it inhibits their chance of survival.

The book is told in four voices (which can be enjoyed in the audiobook): newly widowed Sally Henry Campbell; Cecily Patterson, a slave; Gilbert Hunt, a blacksmith who is looking to buy freedom for himself and his wife; and Jack, a teenage stagehand. Each of them makes decisions that day that will haunt his or her life. What is interesting is that this fire garnered national attention at a time when news was not spread rapidly.

Rachel has created characters who are well developed --- and readers will be rooting for them, as well as musing over their options. This book would be perfect for book groups. Just what would you have done if you were each of these people? That alone would spark a great discussion.