I was looking forward to reading this but unfortunately I didn't like it! I was interested in the subject matter of black Britain and police brutality in the 80s, and the storyline of a woman searching for her mum in Jamaica, but I just didn't like the writing, none of the characters felt real to me, and I found it a bit of a slog to get through – so much potential but it didn't work for me :( three stars because I didn't think it was bad, I just wasn't a fan.

I loved the opening third of this novel and am not sure why I put it down, but it sadly languished on my shelf unread for a while until recently when I picked it back up and powered through to the end.

The prose is so good - rhythmic and fresh and strongly linked to the musical vibes of the story.

As I said the first third was great- Yamaye partying with her girls and meeting the love of her life.

I just struggled a bit with the overall shape of the story and found it a bit longer than I thought it needed to be.

I would definitely read more by this author but wish the story had been more finely honed as it was making some powerful points about the world.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Fire Rush is fierce and violent and passionate.
Yamaye is kept alive by the song of her ancestors as she navigates bad men from London to Bristol and then Jamaica.

From the very beginning of this book, I found myself so invested in the characters and story that I couldn't put it down. Many debut novels seem a bit lackluster to me, but not Fire Rush. This book has heavy themes, and is so powerful of a story - it should be on everyone's shelf. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An impressive debut set at the tail end of the 1970s and beginning of the 1980s. Strong themes of loss and freedom bind the narrative, as the protagonist searches for her identity and a place to call home. Great soundtrack to the story too. Worth checking out the Fire Rush playlist on Spotify. Loved listening to that while reading the novel.

Fire Rush

Set among the Jamaican diasporic community in early Thatcher years, starting in Norwood then over to Bristol and moving onto Jamaica.We are introduced to a second generation Jamaican –British Yamaye, staying with her on a journey of self-discovery, living for her nights at an underground reggae club and spending time with friends, Yamaye falls for Moose in the club one night, but it is not long before tragedy strikes forcing Yamaye to re-evaluate life and using music and the inner voice of her mother finds her way through.
I enjoyed this novel and was absolutely shocked to learn it was a debut novel. The writing is powerful and emotive.
The book is written almost entirely in Jamaican Patois, which I thought I would struggle with and put off reading for this reason, I found the book was almost singing at me, I could hear and feel the beat I did have to look up a few of the words but I got most of it, I have the benefit from coming from a multicultural family.
Some of the topics raised in this novel I found hard to read about The brutality that the police imposed at this time was horrific, and reading about it angered me and made me sad. The racism that Yamaye and her community suffered saddened me, black oppression, the misogyny within the underground music scene, and grief was a prominent theme. I found this book to be an emotional rollercoaster, that was beautifully written with the poetic voice of the author being heard. I will definitely be looking out for more books written by Jaqueline Crooks.

A stunning book set in Thatcher era late 70s early 80s London, Bristol and Jamaica following a young woman from the Jamaican community and her journey.
The book is written in the style of dub and also in dialect so does take a few pages to get used to but I loved this element as it fully immersed me in the time and place.
The plot is fast paced with many unexpected twists - I was rooting for Yamawe.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

What an incredible debut from this author. So powerfully written, painting strong imagery of the stresses and injustices that black british people have to endure, set in the late 1970s / early 1980s among the Jamaican diasporic community, first in London then Bristol and then back to Jamaica. Even more impacting that Jacqueline Crooks reports that this is a fictionalised account of her own life - highlighting the brutality and perpetual racism and the many deaths of black people at the hands of the police that are just swept away. With her need later on in life to travel back to Jamaica to explore her roots, after living in London vying for her poopa's love and wanting to understand more about her muma who was a midwife and passed away in Guyana.

The story really focuses on the dub scene, the power of music, understanding your own identity and your own worth in your fight for survival.

Really tried but just didn't like the writing style at all.

I can appreciate the originality but ultimately didn't like it.

Such an unusual novel, a voice that isn't often heard in a period not often written about. I loved that this was based on a real place and was so evocative of the music and lives of the characters.

This book honestly blew me away - I went into it having heard a lot of buzz surrounding it, and seeing that it was longlisted for this year's Women's Prize for Fiction I can tell you the accolade is very well deserved. I instantly became immersed in the story of Yamaye and her friends, and the setting of the outskirts of London in the late 1970s, where these young black people really had to fight for survive. Unfortunately, some didn't, and my heart broke for Yamaye at the loss of Moose and the way that her life completely changed in the blink of an eye - the portrayal of her constantly feeling on edge, with the police surveilling her and the ridiculous laws that were in place that threatened people's way of life was so powerfully displayed in Fire Rush. Yamaye's strength throughout was admirable, and witnessing her finally achieve some semblance of freedom felt very cathartic, and especially how it linked to the title of the novel - something I always enjoy seeing the link to.

It's not everyday I get to read a book that I can see myself in. It's also not every day I get to read a book in my native dialect. I really enjoyed this book. It broke my heart, and I loved every moment of it. The characters were interesting, engaging and funny. Its focus on music (something Jamaica is known for) was a home run. It was amazing to watch Yamaye's journey from London to Jamaica. Reading about her discovering her heritage and where she comes from was a proud moment. High recommend reading.

A debut?! This is a strong, highly assured debut which will stay with you long after the final pages.

The opening pages have literal rhythm and beats which pull the reader in, not letting go until after that final - but oh so necessary - change of location to Jamaica. Immersive, poetic descriptions - the Crypt, the Tombstone and the caves in Jamaica - filled with imagery.

Powerful, emotional, hearth-thumping read. I can't wait to see what Jacqueline Crooks writes next.

A good début novel, well written and worth reading. Very vivid descriptions of growing up and living in London in the 1970’s. The story follows three friends, the highs and lows they face and their love of music.

I’m sorry, I always try to be positive in reviews but I just I couldn’t get into this book. A lot of the dialect went over my head because i didn’t understand it and I found it hard to follow the story because I just get interested enough. I’m afraid it just wasn’t for me.

The characters in this story are really well written and come to life against the vivid descriptions of London in the 70s. The story is very sad in places but well worth reading. A fantastic debut novel.

I can totally understand why this has been nominated and shortlisted for so many awards. Crooks is such a skilled writer, her craft is visceral, the tales are raw. Each third of the book had messages to learn and hear. I feel like some plot lines were still left hanging (which isn’t a bad thing at all, to leave us on a thread still, I’m just a reader who likes closure).

You can tell this book has been 16 years in the making. The imagery was vivid and beautiful.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an extraordinary debut by Jacqueline Crooks. In the vibrant backdrop of late 1970s London, Yamaye, a spirited young woman, immerses herself in the exhilarating party scene every weekend. Amidst the electrifying music culture of the era, she crosses paths with Moose, and their hearts intertwine in a whirlwind romance. However, an unforeseen tragedy shatters Yamaye's world, leaving her life in disarray and forever changed. Thus follows a journey of rediscovery and meaning.

I really enjoyed the writing style of the book and the themes explored. There was an ease to the writing that felt authentic and unpretentious.

Yamaye lives for the weekend, when she can go raving with her friends Asase and Rumer at The Crypt, an underground club in the industrial town on the outskirts of London in the 1980s. A young woman unsure of her future, in the rhythms of those smoke-filled nights, the music offers a chance to discover who she really is - dub is the music of her soul, her friendships, her ancestry.

But everything changes when she meets Moose, the man she falls deeply in love with, and who offers her the chance of freedom and escape. When their relationship is brutally cut short, Yamaye goes on a dramatic journey of transformation where past and present collide with explosive consequences.

This debut is original, authentic and powerful. It is ambitious, incredibly atmospheric, and tense. It is tough and tender, it appals and it moves. Its setting and story deals with everything that this white woman of a certain age is not, and it is a challenging read on so many levels, not least with the use of Jamaican patois.

And yet.

Despite all of these things, the rhythms of this story, its strong evocation of time, place and scene, the beauty of its imagery, and the strength of its characterisation, scoops you up and sweeps you along.

This novel is a fictionalised account of the author’s own life, and it paints a vivid picture of Thatcher’s Britain, asking what it was like to be a black at that time, and especially to be a black woman. It explores themes of racism, police brutality, black culture, slavery, gangs and drug taking. Yamaye’s story shows how she does not feel truly safe or in control of her own life, anywhere, until part three of the novel when she travels to Jamaica. Once there, in the country of her ancestors, with its Obeah spell-casting and healing, she finally finds strength, empowerment and agency.

Once again, this is perhaps not something I would have picked up had it not been for my self-imposed challenge to read the 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction in its entirety, and I would have missed out on reading this startling and powerful novel.

“I turn on some old, favourite dub tracks. I grew up listening to Irving play his Trojan records. Ska into rocksteady into reggae. The offbeats and rhythmic patterns of my growth synced to the emerging sound of dub. The dead come to us through familiar sound waves. I chant, call Muma inna fire-rush tongue: ‘Weh you deh?’

My thanks to Random House U.K. Vintage/Jonathan Cape for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Fire Rush’ by Jacqueline Crooks.

This debut work of literary fiction has recently been shortlisted for the 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction. It is divided into three parts, set in London, Bristol, and Jamaica between late 1978 and early 1982.

The novel’s narrator is 24-year-old Yamaye. As Book One opens she and her friends, Asase and Rumer, live for the weekends when they leave behind their mundane jobs and go raving at the Crypt, an underground club in the outskirts of London. Yamaye feels the dub music deep in her soul, it connects her to her ancestors as she loses herself in ecstatic dance.

Her life changes dramatically when she meets and falls in love with Moose, a sculptor and cabinet maker. He offers her an opportunity to escape her life. Yet her journey takes an unexpected turn (no spoilers) and in Book Two she ends up in Bristol where she becomes caught up in a criminal gang as well as the police riots sweeping the country.

Finally in Book Three she travels to Jamaica, where she makes a connection with her ancestors facilitated by Moose’s grandmother, who is an Obeah and herbalist. Yamaye needs to find a way to reconcile her past and present.

I loved the way in which the Jamaican traditions of Obeah were portrayed as it invited the reader into Yamaye’s world and to experience through her consciousness the power of the rites.

This was an extraordinary novel though as it’s written partly in patois, includes musical terms unknown to me, and is somewhat lyrical, stream-of-consciousness, it was at times a challenging read. I was grateful for its audiobook edition as combining listening with reading brought its rich language vividly to life.

While the dub and reggae wasn’t a musical genre that I was familiar with, I did find that I was carried along by Yamaye’s experience and emerged with a greater appreciation for it. That is for me an important factor when reading a novel, I didn’t feel excluded from Yamaye’s life but rather granted insight and a sense of sisterhood via her powerful story.

Jacqueline Crooks writes in the acknowledgments that ‘Fire Rush’ is a fictionalised account of her life and also shares a list of books and articles that aided her research into the culture and music of the period.

Overall, ‘Fire Rush’ was an astonishing debut and well deserving of its inclusion on the Women’s Prize shortlist. While a personal journey of a young woman seeking to find love, freedom, and connection, it also addresses social and political issues that remain as relevant today as they did during its period setting.

Highly recommended.