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BOOK REVIEW | CLAP WHEN YOU LAND BY ELIZABETH ACEVEDO (SPOILER FREE)

August 31, 2020

Title: Clap When You Land

Author: Elizabeth Acevedo

Pages: 371

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published date: 5 May 2020

Genre: Fiction

Kinokuniya | Book Depository

   In a novel-in-verse that brims with grief and love, National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.

   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.(Source: Goodreads)

This book is told in verses, and Elizabeth Acevedo's first verse novel is The Poet X which I also have read. I probably like Clap When You Land more than The Poet X.

This story is told in dual POV; Camino and Yahaira. Camino lives in Dominican Republic meanwhile Yahaira in New York City. We get to see how different their lives are. In comparison to Camino, Yahaira seems to live in paradise. Despite having the best facilities in her house than her neighbour, Camino lives in a place where people had to work at a young age and quit school to put food on the table.

Personally, I love Camino's POV more than Yahaira's. I think it's more emotional, relatable and has more depth. We get to know the people around Camino more and the scene felt more vivid. It teared me up a lot seeing how the characters struggled to live. Sometimes I just want to reach Camino and give her the emotional support she deserved. In Yahaira's, not much happened.

I love all the characters. They felt real to me. I love both Camino and Yahaira's personalities. I love how they are nice towards each other. And the ending made my heart warm. I love it when books show kindness because it feels like the real world is toxic.

This book is a good thing to read to remind you kindness isn't dead. When I read the author's note, it made me more emotional. I love when authors went out of their way to do some research for their work.

As you read along, you'll realize why the title is Clap When You Land. And I think the reason is beautiful. If you never read anything by Elizabeth Acevedo, you should at least read one because she's an amazing and passionate writer. Her stories always convey deep and important message to the readers. I think that's one of the reason why I love her work so much. I'm planning to read With The Fire On High by her, I bet it will make me emotional as well.

Rate: ★★★★★