The House Is on Fire
On December 26, 1811, Richmond, Virginia’s theater burst into flames during a crowded performance, killing nearly a hundred in the audience. In The House Is on Fire, her second novel, Rachel Beanland follows four people who will find their lives transformed by the tragedy: Sally, a young widow who does not suffer fools gladly; enslaved blacksmith Gilbert, who dreams of buying his freedom and that of his wife; enslaved housemaid Cecily, anticipating a miserable future at the hands of a sexual predator; and the orphaned Jack, a stagehand who hopes that his job might lead to onstage glory. All are based on historical figures.
I loved Beanland’s first novel, Florence Adler Swims Forever, featuring a Jewish family in 1930s Atlantic City, and this one, with its very different cast and setting, did not disappoint. Not only are the four protagonists captivating and well-drawn, but those who surround them are memorable as well, especially Mary Cowley, an outsider who ministers to the survivors; the actors of the Placide & Green Company, desperate to avoid blame for the catastrophe; the decaying Price family, who appear to have stepped out of a Tennessee Williams play; and newspaper editor Thomas Ritchie, determined to get at the truth—to a point.
Beanland’s writing is sharp and clever (“He tried to follow along, but all those white girl names sounded the same, and they were each as mean as the next”), with lively dialogue. And although this is a character-driven novel, the plot kept me in suspense until the very end; only having to get off my train made me stop reading. I wouldn’t have minded staying on board.
