Yamaye

Yamaye is the narrator and protagonist of Fire Rush. At the start of the novel, she is 24 years old. Her parents are Jamaican immigrants and Yamaye was born and raised in the UK. Yamaye's mother left to work in Guyana when Yamaye was a toddler, never to return. She was primarily raised by her father, Irving, who could be kind and loving at times but was also physically abusive. The loss of her mother has left a profound loss in Yamaye's life, and she often imagines her mother singing or speaking to her, which brings her comfort.

Yamaye is passionate about music and dance, spending most of her free time in the beginning of the novel at the Crypt. At first, she is shy about performing, only doing so occasionally at Dub Steppaz. She begins to perform at Shackles, and doing so gives her a great deal of...