A YA verse novel told from two points of view? Yes, please. And one with a secret at its core? Always.
Clap When You Land was a stunning read, one that made my heart ache even as I rejoiced with all the women in the story who emerged triumphant, and stronger than ever.
Yahaira, who lives in New York City, knows her father’s secret. But she thinks she needs to keep it from her mother.
And Camino, who lives in the Dominican Republic, knows nothing. She does not know that her father does not live in the United States only for work. He has a family there – another wife and another daughter.
When he dies in an air crash, all the secrets come tumbling out. How can Camino accept a sister, who monopolised her father right through the year? How can she come to terms with the huge wealth divide between her father’s two families? And worst of all, how is it that she is the only one who never knew about her father’s double life?
A powerful story, Clap When You Land immersed me in a world that was both familiar and unknown. Through the voices of the two girls, I explored family, friendship, love and acceptance – universal ideas set in a context I know little about. And Clap When You Land also made me realise, yet again, that when a story is compelling, we simply do not need to understand every word. Several lines in Spanish didn’t take away from my experience of reading the book; rather, they added to it. Verse is an intimate form of storytelling, and how could Camino’s voice come through in chaste English, untouched by her life in the Dominican Republic?
I loved Clap When You Land. It made me realise, yet again, just how powerful verse is. It’s emotional, intimate, and altogether beautiful.
| Title | Clap When You Land |
| Author | Elizabeth Acevedo |
| Tags | Verse Novel, YA, Dominican Republic |
| Rating (out of 5) | 4.5 |
| Age-group | 13+ |
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