Clap When You Land

SYNOPSIS:

Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people…

In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.

Separated by distance—and Papi’s secrets—the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered.

And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other.

REVIEW

(5 STARS)

A magnificent work of art.

If you've been kept from reading this book because you don't like poetry, allow me to convince you. I never enjoyed poetry either. Poetry is often harder to understand because many things are open to interpretation. You can't be sure of the author's intention and the words' true meaning. However, Elizabeth Acevedo is a master and will swipe you off your feet. The first question I had was "how can one write a 300-page book in poetry? Will it all be rhyming? That should be your first hint of how ignorant I am regarding this genre.

If you're like me, think of 'Clap When You Land' as prose organized as poetry. Visually it's poetry, but the reading feels like prose. Are you more open to it now?

I hope so because this is the coming of age novel you won't want to miss.

Yahaira and Camino lose their father on a tragic plane crash that shocks the Dominican community. What they don't know is that their father led a parallel life and that the secrets he worked so hard to keep will emerge.

This is a story about the fraternal bond between two sisters that never met each other and Acevedo's main focus is family. That was probably my favourite thing about this book, how it wasn't a stereotypical YA romance. The author explores the intricacies of parenthood, poverty and privilege, leaving the romance in the background, a gentle reminder that there are more spheres in your life besides a significant other. When she decided to include the romantic aspect, it was on her terms, doing so by writing an LGBTQIA character, escaping once again the normative. She doesn't write about an unhealthy relationship either: she shows us how love should be instead. Simple. Free. Natural. Organic.

Acevedo also manages to discuss death and loss beautifully and poignantly: how it affects people in a multitude of ways, how it can bring people together and how it can happen most suddenly (even when it's the only certainty we all have in life).

Her writing is wonderful, seductive, heart-warming. She embraces her Dominican roots and wears it proudly, writing in Spanish when she feels like it, inciting those who don't understand to learn. Reminding those who think their culture is more valid, that it isn't. Hinting that there are more languages besides English that are as interesting and as important.

Acevedo's mission, I think, is to shake us all from indifference. Her main characters are black women, who had to fight different fights but who have suffered because of their colour and gender. Women who, despite living in different countries, had to make their voices heard. Women that know that there's still a war to win against prejudice and misogyny and who know that their odds are better if they fight together.

I want to thank Acevedo for writing such a complete book, a true masterpiece, and for using her voice to voice other people's.

Obrigada também à minha irmã, por me ter oferecido este livro, e à Mariana por o ter lido comigo.