Fire Rush is not an easy read, not because it is badly written, but because of the heavy themes explored. It describes a world where a man would rather jump out of a window than be questioned by the police about the whereabouts of his brother. A world where black men are brutalised and killed by the police simply for being black. A world where young women are treated as property by men, of dysfunctional families, with husbands who abuse their wives, and mothers who neglect their children. A world where being black means young men and women have very little prospect of success. A world where many resort to crime and others betray their people in order to survive. It is very reminiscent of Steve McQueen’s recent BBC series Small Axe and a reminder that very little has changed in terms of racial inequality, oppression of, and discrimination against black people.
I cannot say that I enjoyed reading this book and I came close to not finishing it but I am glad that I persevered to the end. It is now whilst reflecting back that I can appreciate the complexity of the relationships and the characters and how expertly Jacqueline Crooks has managed to tie them together in this story of love, music, dance, struggle, survival, and Black womanhood.
The characters are complex, multi-layered, and with a lot of depth. Through Yamaye’s narration, I felt like I knew them and like I was there with them and her on her journey of self-discovery. Moose, Eustace, and Oraca were very endearing and I couldn’t help rooting for Charmaine despite her flaws. Although it is ultimately a book about Black womanhood I like the fact that not all the women are good and not all the men are bad, a true reflection of society.
I found the pace to be very slow, especially at the beginning. This combined with the heavy subject made it a challenging read. The pace picked up halfway through when Yamaye moved to Bristol and events really began to unfold.
The writing is very descriptive and gives you a real sense of place and of the dub music scene in the 1970s and 1980s. I felt transported to the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, and could easily visualise the forests, valleys, caves, and beaches. I could smell the chicken roasting by the roadside, and hear the crickets, the drums, and the horns as Granny Itiba worked her magic.
The prose and Jamaican patois give the story a sense of authenticity. The language is very rhythmic and dub lyrics feature throughout the novel making music almost another character. Whilst I understand why the lyrics are important for Yamaye and for the story, I felt that it was sometimes a little too much. I did however love the accompanying playlist compiled by the author and listened to it again and again.
Fire Rush is an intense debut novel that is definitely one that is worth reading but you have to be in the right frame of mind because it is not easy on the heart.