“If we meet again, may it be under better circumstances.” —Rachel Beanland, “The House is on Fire”

This one is for my historical fiction fans.

Imagine yourself in 1811 Richmond, Virginia, the peak of the winter social season. You decide to attend the local theater’s production of “The Father,” followed by a pantomime titled “Raymond and Agnes.” During the pantomime you catch a hint of something familiar but unsettling. Smoke perhaps?

Moments later, an actor comes out and confirms your suspicions, announcing to the audience that there is indeed a fire. At first, the people around you are unmoved. It must be a part of the performance–until it isn't. Rachel Beanland captures the madness of this tragedy and the ensuing fallout in her second novel ‘The House is on Fire.’

In this retelling, you follow the perspectives of several theater goers, including the recently widowed Sally Campbell. She finds herself taking care of a number of the victims, whom she notices are d i sprop or t i on ate ly women. These observations, during and after the fire, cause her to question herself, her peers, and the world she thought she knew.

Cecily, a young enslaved girl, views the tragedy as a possible escape. Prior to the play, she survives the abuses of her master’s son. In the chaos of the crumbling structure and people climbing over each other to escape, Cecily sees an opportunity, and she learns the risks of taking agency over her body in a world that would rather confine and control her.

Jack, the teenage stagehand, is caught in the familiar struggle between doing the right thing, or doing what’s in the best interest of his career. It’s mentioned that he is the son of a man who was relatively progressive for the time, and this legacy weighs in the back of his mind as his employers and colleagues pull him into their self-serving interests.

Then there’s Gilbert, the enslaved blacksmith whose heroism during the fire is praised by some and despised by others–including his owner. His empathy for a group of people who’d rather subjugate him, proves to be a valuable skill, but it’s his ability to read and write that

BOOK TALK see page A6 becomes more valuable…and dangerous.

Beanland touches on a lot of resonant themes, such as why so many women died while their male counterparts evaded the smoke and flames. How a man can be fit to save multiple people from a burning building, yet have no say over his own life. The lengths people will go to in order to protect themselves from accountability, even at the expense of others lives. Or simply how the vestiges of hope are present in times of tragedy.

You may even find yourself, like me, searching the ways that the history of the actual event aligns with Beanland’s retelling. If so, you may be impressed to find out that though this is a fictional account, the Richmond Theater fire was an actual event, Placide and Green was an actual theater company, and news of the fire actually reached overseas news publications. Also, many of the characters whose perspectives you follow, were actually present, and endured that harrowing night.

Fun fact - there is also an interesting Easter Egg for fans of Edgar Allen Poe. I will not spoil it.

Not so fun fact–The Iroquois Theatre fire of 1903 is still known as the worst theater fire (worst single-building fires) in U.S. history, resulting in over 600 deaths.

But as I was saying, if you get around to reading “The House is on Fire,” let’s discuss it sometime.