Fire Rush

Yamaye, a young woman, spends her weekends partying. It is late 1970s London, and the music scene is huge. During these heady days she meets Moose, and the two quickly fall in love. Then tragedy strikes, and Yamaye's life is upended, irrevocably altered, and returns to her roots to try and find something like peace.

Written in a Jamaican patois, this is a stunning debut novel. The first third felt as relevant to today's racial climate as the 1970s. The language and rhythm of Jacqueline Crooks' prose was fantastic - parts of it felt musical, with dub music almost a secondary character in the novel. Reading it I wished Crooks had included a play-list, a soundtrack to her words.

There are debut novels which take a little time to find their footing, and there are novels which roar out of the gate and end up saying quite profound things without preaching - Fire Rush is one of those novels. At times it is serious, at times romantic, and on a few occasions genuinely funny (there is some misunderstandings between the black youths at the heart of this novel and white magistrates that really made me laugh - and showed how out of touch the establishment can be when confronted with life on the streets.)

This is an accomplished debut with very fine prose. It marks Jacqueline Crooks out as a name to watch. If this novel is anything to go bu she is destined for big things.

believe this is Jacqueline Crooks' first novel length publication and I'm so excited by her as a writer! This doesn't come out until next March, but definitely but this on your to-read list because it's a fantastic book!


We start in late 1970s London (mainly around Norwood) by meeting Yamaye, Asase and Rumer who are definitely party girls, big time. Yamaye (the MC) and Asase are of Jamaican background, whereas Rumer is Irish. She always had a big question mark over her for me - she never really fit into their friendship group and I wanted to know how they had met! Anyway, it isn't Rumer's story; it's Yamaye's.

Yamaye starts seeing a guy called Moose. She can't keep her happiness to herself for long and her friends work out she's in a relationship - more: she's in love. Life seems so sweet - she can forget about her father Irving, her Muma's ghost seems benevolent, and they all live for nights in The Crypt. Maybe she'll even try singing; after all, Moose likes her voice.

Tragedy strikes and Yamaye's world is turned on its head, losing Moose, Asase and Rumer within a very short time. Wounded and needy, she moves to Bristol, but controlling people surrounding her. She can't escape the regression to her childhood self, as her father appears to materialise in other people. She is living in a 'Safe House' which is anything but safe, and it is here she attempts to locate some connections to her roots, to Jamaica, to free herself from the torment of everyday living.

This was a really fantastic book with powerful themes and resonant language. It may take you a while to get the 'riddim' of the Jamaican patois, but I didn't find it too long. (I looked up some words out of interest, but you could get 90% of it from context). The patois adds a real element to the book; it feels vibrant and almost like poetry at times. Crooks has represented the rhythm of music - mostly dub reggae, but also traditional music - through her words and it is mesmerically effective. You really feel like you are there jivin with the girls, the beat pulsin ya body. I was truly transported.

This isn't a book for the faint-hearted; it is really full of grief and heartache. Crooks has said it is loosely based on her life, and I ache to think of someone living this life. Not only racism, but police brutality and injustice, being stalked, confinement, organised crime, rape, self-harm and murder are among the themes. They are all dealt with very sensitively, but do start reading this book aware of the challenges you will read about.

However, it is certainly worth it: to see the world of late 1970s into the 80s, the vibe that was going on, Yamaye's growth as a character, the beauty and darkness of others' souls, to explore Afrofuturism, and to be taken on a real emotional rollercoaster. Use of recurring images, and other forms of text (such as rapping/singing) really take this book to the next level.

Thanks to NetGalley and Vintage for the arc of this book and thank you to Jacqueline Crooks for such an exciting new voice in fiction!

I found this awesome playlist I had to share, because you'll want to be groovin to summat after readin this! https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/20...
Curated by the author!

Such an incredible read that felt so connected to the music that ran through it. This book has it all really, the characters were so interesting and descriptions even more so. Set in London in the late 70s amongst clubs and dub music, you’re immersed into something really special. I found that the loss and grief in this novel struck me especially the ways in which different characters dealt with it, and I think Yamaye’s journey is such an important one.
So much to think about after reading this, and so much to listen to as well.

4 - 5 stars
Timeline:-1979- early 1980’s

This is Yamaye’s story, she lives on Tombstone Estate in Norwood, West London. She and her best friends Asase, who is definitely the leader, and Irish born Rumer live for the weekends. Their lives revolve around The Crypt where they dance in the dark, dub fills them up with its rhythm and its soul linking them to their past. Everything changes for the tight knit three when Yamaye meets Moose, their love deep. This is a time of danger and tragedy strikes and hearts are broken. Set against a backdrop of protests, riots and police brutality, Yamaye leaves London for Bristol but cannot break free of those who seek to contain and control her. Her story shifts to Jamaica, her spiritual home but past and present are on a collision course.

This is a very powerful debut novel and though it takes a while to tune into the Jamaican patois you get the gist and I absolutely love its vibrancy and you feel it’s ‘riddim’. Throughout the entirety of the book the writing is so vivid, the descriptions and language feels poetic and the infusion of dub is wonderfully resonant. Through Yamaye you experience the escapist rhythm of the dances in The Crypt, the music, the culture, the history especially of the Maroons but most of all the spiritualism with its links to history but also it’s ghosts. I love this element and it’s described so well it often feels other worldly and almost an out of body experience.

Yamaye is a fantastic central protagonist and narrator as she makes you feel as if you too are living the injustice and sharing the love and grief. In the background and more often than not in the foreground, we confront the riots, the suspicion, the fear and the claustrophobia of being watched. You root for her in Bristol and in Jamaica hoping she finds what she seeks.

It’s full of amazing characters some with good hearts such as Moose and others who have dark souls but all are portrayed so well you see them with your minds eye.

This novel takes you on an emotional and unforgettable journey. I love the multiple images of fire such as the fire rush inna me bredrin which appear cleverly throughout. This is a terrific debut and a writer to watch in the future. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Vintage for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

The story follows the life of Yamaye, a woman of Jamaican heritage, who was raised in a housing project in London and is still dealing with her mothers disappearance when she was younger. She spends her free time in the dub reggae clubs where she meets Moose, whose life is tragically cut short when he is sadly murdered by a police officer. This chain of events results in Yamaye traveling to Bristol and then Jamaica on a journey of self discovery.

This is a phenomenal debut novel, highly recommended to get your hands on.

Thank you to NetGalley, Vintage, Jonathan Cape for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This is an incredible must read debut from Jacqueline Crooks that captures the turbulent, challenging and stressful history of black British lives, more particularly black women, of the late 1970s and early 1980s. This includes the terrifying racism, the brutality and black deaths at the hands of the police, undercover police surveillance, informants, dance and music, the protests, riots, the far right, and the Anti-Nazi League. Yamaye lives at the Tombstone estate, Norwood, West London, with her poopa Irving, staying hoping for his love and need to learn more about her muma, a midwife who died in Guyana, when she was a child. She fills the inner vacuum inside with dancing at the Crypt at the weekends with her friends, Asase, the leader, and the Irish Rumer, where skanking is survival.

It is more than dancing, dub is everything, a fire, a guide, a path to the soul and the past, her friends, connecting with ghosts, a core sense of identity, it is who she is. Yamaye then meets Moose, her life fundamentally shifting as she falls in love, finding a peace and a promise of a different future in Jamaica. However, this is all set to be shattered when a tragedy occurs, and matters are exacerbated when her friendships are broken, unbearable cracks begin to appear. Fighting for justice, brings unwelcome police surveillance into Yamaye's life, it all becomes too much and she runs to the sanctuary offered by Monassa at the Safe House in Bristol. It turns out to be far from safe, facing a criminal gang, a controlling predator and a protector, it's a predicament that has her feeling shame.

All is not lost, Yamaye bides her time, the fire inside her is burning as she plays the decks, finding herself in the music, culminating in her past meeting her present when she travels to Jamaica, to find out about her muma, and connect with the other love of her life, Moose, through his resourceful Granny Itiba, who can be relied on when a past problem once again rears its head. This is a read that grabbed me almost instantly, it is exquisitely written, lyrical and vibrant, and I quickly became accustomed to the Jamaican patois. I really felt for Yamaye and what she went through and her transformation, her love of dub reggae, in this sublime and compelling character driven historical novel, of love, loss, freedom, and its eye opening insights in what it was like to be black woman in this period of British history. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.