The House Is on Fire

1. General Impressions 

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• The book presents the experiences of four separate main characters. Which narrative did you enjoy the most, and why?
• Share your thoughts on the book’s ending: Did its revelations surprise you? Was the resolution satisfying? Why or why not?

2. Personal Reflection and Connection 

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

• The fire creates a life-and-death situation in which some characters must choose between whether to help others or to put their own safety first. How do various characters weigh these decisions? What would you do in their situation, and why? 
• With which character did you identify the most, and why?
• In an interview, author Rachel B talks about how the novel grew out of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. Being unable to travel caused B to turn “to [her] own backyard” for the subject for her next novel, thus leading her to the fire in Richmond, Virginia where she resides (Lawson, Sarah. “Complicating the Narrative: Rachel Beanland sifts through Aftermath of the 1811 Richmond Theater Fire.” C-VILLE Weekly, 3 May 2023). If you were to draw from your own “backyard,” what subject matter would you glean? 
• Survival of a disaster (or a similarly tragic event) can often cause individuals to reevaluate how they have lived their lives, offering them an opportunity to make changes that impact the future.