By the dark of the moon there's a fire in the night: THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE.

The House Is on Fire by Rachel Beanland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A hyped novel that lives up to it all. FIRE is such a powerful story based on real life events--a fire that occurred in a theater in Richmond in 1811. I tend to shy away from historical fiction, but I was captivated by the tale of four characters, each of whom are in the theater when the fire starts. We hear from Sally Henry Campbell, attending with her sister; Jack, a stagehand; Cecily, a slave there with her mistress; and Gilbert, a blacksmith and slave dreaming of a better life.

FIRE is incredibly sad but so realistic; it made the time period real for me in a way that history books just can't. The absolute injustice of slavery is on full display, as we see how Cecily is assaulted and abused by her master's son, while Gilbert and his wife live separately, dreaming of buying their freedom and having a life together.

There's also a focus on strength of women, of all kinds, as we see Sally's absolute horror and shock at how many women are left behind to die in the theater, and how she decides to react to that realization. Beanland writes these characters so well: I was attached to each and totally captivated by their journeys. 4+ stars.


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