Clap when you land
ISBN 9781471409127
Hot Key Books
Elizabeth Acevedo knows poetry. She knows how to make words sing and dance on the page. Knows how to make those words haunt you and leave you in awe. I loved her book Poet X and now I’m in love again, with her latest verse novel Clap when you land.
All these lies that we’ve all swallowed,
they’re probably rotting in our stomachs.
Camino Rios lives in the Dominican Republic with her aunt; her mother long since passed away, while her father lives in New York. He returns each summer to spend time with her but this time his plane crashes and Camino is left an orphan. He sent money for her schooling but now that he is gone, she worries what will happen to her and her dreams of being a doctor seem pointless. There is also an unwanted male and danger not far from her door.
Yahaira Rios lives with her mother in New York and her father is also killed in a plane crash on his regular summer trip away. The father, is the one and the same. Neither girl knew of the other’s existence but the fate of that plane crash draws them together after secrets are revealed that they are in fact sisters.
Beautifully written in verse, each daughter tells their own story, their own fears, and struggles to cope with loss, grief, and the secret that shatters their worlds but ultimately draws them together.
The language flows beautifully and is succinct.
Tio Jorge knows how to listen.
Even if all he hears is silence.
There is so much to unpack in this novel, so many thoughts and feelings. The girls share many physical features of their father but live in totally different worlds. I love how the author draws us into Camino and Yahaira’s worlds and inner thoughts. Their shared story is moving, gritty and powerful. I am so glad the sisters find each other. Loved this book!
I would love to listen and watch Elizabeth Acevedo live. Poet and performer!
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