The House Is on Fire

"Rachel Beanland’s The House Is on Fire is the kind of historical novel that makes you forget that a lot of what you’re reading really happened. The novel chronicles the burning of a theater during a performance and the tumultuous aftermath of it in Richmond, Va., in 1811. While following several characters, the novel also looks at the rampant racism and misogyny of the times and explores how these two elements helped shape the narrative of the event and distort the truth of what happened during the ensuing investigation. This is a historical novel that is also very timely."