Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

Star rating: 5/5

Elizabeth Acevedo’s newest tells a story of two very different parts of the same family, united by tragedy.

Summary:

Camino lives in the Dominican Republic with her tia. They are very poor, and Camino dreams of attending medical school in the United States. Yahaira lives in New York City with her wealthy mother and, for most of the year, her father. Her father spends every summer in the Domenican Republic with Camino, who is his other daughter. Neither daughter knows the other exists.

On his flight to the DR to stay with Camino, the plane crashes with no survivors. Both Camino and Yahaira are crushed. When they learn the other exists, both are hurt by the secrets their father kept from them, but they decide to meet. Though their lives and upbringing could not be more different, they quickly begin to see each other as family.

Review:

I cannot believe how beautiful and heartbreaking this book was. I was very hesitant about reading a novel-in-verse, as that’s an unfamiliar medium for me, but I loved it. Acevedo's writing is so naturally poetic, but this still had the feel of a novel. 

Reading Acevedo’s author’s note, this story was based on a real plane crash that happened shortly after 9/11 on it’s way to the DR, the majority of those on board being Dominican. She remembers that once the possibility of terrorism was ruled out, people lost interest in the story. How true – that many of us only pay attention to tragedy when it feels personal. The characters in this story may be fictional, but the story is common – a family left behind in another country, unable to get to the United States to seek the life they want, forced to make difficult choices. Camino and Yahaira were both such strong, beautiful, complex characters. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about this book. If you have enjoyed Acevedo’s past work, I highly recommend Clap When You Land!