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A review by prittyinpinkdiva
The House is on Fire by Rachel Beanland
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.25
4.5 stars for how captivating the book was (especially the audiobook) but 1.5 stars for historical fiction that feels ahistorical.
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Page turner but I have major concerns about the historical accuracy. The author portrays white men as violent and/or negligent - but fails to capture white women’s active participation in slavery.
White women are repeatedly portrayed as benevolent (teaching enslaved people to read, offering to buy an enslaved man’s freedom, helping protect a runaway slave). None of these things are stand out, but they really added up over the course of the book to the point where I noticed a pattern - white women are portrayed as passive and somewhat unwilling participants in slavery. The author admits in the closing that there is no evidence that white town members attempted to free the ensalved man she writes about - so why write that fantasy?
One of our main characters, Sally, is portrayed as principled, critical of patriarchy, and generally kind to enslaved people. YET, the author briefly mentions that she is a slave owner herself. The author doesn’t seem to know what to do with white women’s participation in slavery nor does she know how to write this complexity in her characters.
—
Page turner but I have major concerns about the historical accuracy. The author portrays white men as violent and/or negligent - but fails to capture white women’s active participation in slavery.
White women are repeatedly portrayed as benevolent (teaching enslaved people to read, offering to buy an enslaved man’s freedom, helping protect a runaway slave). None of these things are stand out, but they really added up over the course of the book to the point where I noticed a pattern - white women are portrayed as passive and somewhat unwilling participants in slavery. The author admits in the closing that there is no evidence that white town members attempted to free the ensalved man she writes about - so why write that fantasy?
One of our main characters, Sally, is portrayed as principled, critical of patriarchy, and generally kind to enslaved people. YET, the author briefly mentions that she is a slave owner herself. The author doesn’t seem to know what to do with white women’s participation in slavery nor does she know how to write this complexity in her characters.