INTRODUCTION
The House is on Fire is a 2023 historical fiction novel by the Richmond, Virginia-based author Rachel Beanland. It is Beanland’s second novel; her first, Florence Adler Swims Forever, won the National Jewish Book Award for Jewish Fiction. Since its release, The House is on Fire has received positive reviews and was an Indie Next pick by the American Booksellers Association.
The book follows the events of the 1811 Richmond Theatre Fire and its aftermath, covering the fire itself and the three days afterward. It is structured around the stories of the four main characters: Sally Henry Campbell, a recent widow who was attending the theater with her brother and sister-in-law; Cecily Patterson, an enslaved woman who uses the fire as an opportunity to escape enslavement; Gilbert Hunt, an enslaved blacksmith who works to save people from the flames; and Jack Gibson, a young stagehand caught up in a conspiracy surrounding the fire’s cause.
The House Is On Fire uses third-person limited point of view, shifting between its four main characters. It begins on December 26, the night of the Richmond Theatre Fire, and ends on December 29, the day of the funeral for the fire’s victims.
Sally Henry Campbell—a widow and the daughter of Patrick Henry—is on her way to the theater with her brother-in-law and his wife, Archie and Margaret. She is close to Margaret, who comforted her when her husband died. At the theater, they run into some acquaintances, including Mr. Scott, who is taciturn and unsociable. They all proceed to their box seats on the third floor.
Cecily Patterson, an enslaved woman, is chaperoning Maria Price, the 16-year-old daughter of the man who enslaves her and her family. Elliott, Maria’s older brother, has been raping Cecily since they were both children, and she is to be given to him as a wedding gift the following week. Cecily goes to her seat in the gallery where enslaved people and freedmen sit.
Gilbert Hunt is on his way to see his wife, Sara, at the Mayo-Preston house, where she is enslaved. Gilbert is a blacksmith, and he has been trying to save enough money to buy his and Sara’s freedom.
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