I am probably not the best person to be reviewing this novel as I really struggled with understanding some of the Jamaican vernacular and pronunciation which meant it didn’t flow in my head as I was reading and that caused me to put the Kindle down and do something else rather than just read all evening. I’m sure for anyone with West Indian heritage or anyone who has grown up in a large city hearing different languages and listening to dub music will rate this book a 5 ⭐️ hit.
I’m fairly sure the lack of flow and urgency I felt in the novel was my lack of understanding rather than a fault in Ms Crook’s writing.
The second half of the book was much better for me and I think that was probably that I had relaxed into Yamaye’s voice and was allowing it to flow freely.
The descriptive power Ms Crook has is incredible. Every scene; the crypt, the safe house, Granny Itiba’s all so different, so vivid and all perfectly presented to the minds eye. This is a skill few authors posses and it really made for a fully immersive reading experience at times especially the caves instinctively holding my breath during their scenes.
Characterisation is also phenomenal with Yamaye the perfect protagonist and someone I rooted for the entire journey. Asase was complicated and complex and I fell in love with Moose as quickly as Yamaye did. I felt deep affection and connection with Granny Itiba despite her appearing in only two scenes and having very little dialogue Moose’s tales of her and utter devotion to her transferred to me easily.
3.5 ⭐️

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.

Yamaye lives for the weekend when she can go raving with her friends at The Crypt, an underground club in the industrial town on the outskirts of London where she was born and raised. A young woman unsure of her future, the sound is her guide - a chance to discover who she really is in the rhythms of those smoke-filled nights. 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.

I’d describe this book as realistic fiction. The author has done an amazing job at creating imaginary characters and situations that depict the world and society. The characters focus on themes of growing, self-discovery and confronting personal and social problems. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.