4.5 stars

CW: Death of a parent, sexual assault

Not too much of a surprise that I loved this. Elizabeth Acevedo is able to tell such amazing stories in a beautiful, poetic way with pages that pack an absolute punch with every sentence.

Clap When You Land is the story of two 16 year old girls, born two months apart to the same father and living countries apart. Camino grew up in the Dominican Republic in the care of her aunt, and Yahaira grew up in New York with her mother and father except from June-September when her father takes his annual work trip. When a terrible plane crash tears the girls' worlds apart, they find out about each other and take a journey about grief, love and hope together.

I'm not sure how much I can say about this book except that it was so beautifully written and I really felt the exploration of grief, love and loss in this book was done really, really well and the pages wore all the feelings well. I've been lucky to not have had to experience such pain in my life yet but I can imagine for those who have had to, the feelings in this book would be gut-wrenching and real.

"I could always anticipate Papi's moves.
His every feeling flashed across his face
like the digital ads at the bus stops.

For the rest of my life I will sit & imagine
what my father would say in any given moment.

& I will make him up:
his words, his advice, our memories."

I felt like both girls' voices for me were really unique too and I could tell them apart quite easily - even when their voices combined and it wasn't always obvious who was speaking.

"Papi wanted me to be a leader.
To think quick & strike hard,
to speak rarely, but when I did,

to always be heard. Me?
Playing chess taught me a queen is both:

deadly & graceful, poised & ruthless.
Quiet & cunning. A queen

offers her hand to be kissed.

& can form it into a fist
while smiling the whole damn time"

The image of the Dominican Republic in this novel was a complicated one - showing the reader the beauty in the landscape as well as the sense of community and how people looked out for each other. But it also didn't hide the poverty people experienced, as well as the lack of opportunity for young people - especially girls, and the danger young girls are in if particular men decide they like them.

I felt so much anger in this book when Camino had to deal with El Cero stalking her, and how people seemed to think she was welcoming his attention. It happens in the Dominican Republic but similar behaviour and responses to the behaviour and 'victim blaming' intentional or unintentional happens everywhere. And oftentimes these girls have no one to protect them.

The sisterly bond that sparked quickly was gorgeous, and I loved imaging them together - similar but not so similar - studying each other, loving each other and in magical ways, getting a piece of their father back in each other. Beautiful.

"I am hers I am hers I am hers
she says & she is right."