Clap When You Land is Elizabeth Acevedo’s latest novel in verse. It’s about two sisters who are just learning of each other’s existence. Yahaira lives in the US with her mother, while Camino lives in the Dominican Republic with her Tia. When their father dies suddenly in a plane crash, the two sisters find each other. They learn that their father was living a double life, traveling back and forth between countries and married to both of their mothers at the same time. In the midst of their grief, they must grapple with feelings of shock and betrayal.
The story and and much of the writing are absolutely stunning. The sister’s love for one another grows throughout the novel, and their strength in the face of such a difficult situation is palpable. Acevedo perfectly depicts their confusion in how to feel – knowing that their father loved them both but was also lying to them and, in the process, creating a barrier between them. As a reader, you understand the sisters’ complex and contradictory emotions as they’re caught between feeling angry, while also feeling the tremendous loss of their father, their hero. What’s also interesting is witnessing the sisters learn about one another: about the cultures in which they were raised, the similarities they share with one another, as well as the vast differences in their interests and aspirations.
Books in verse can be wonderful because they are quick reads, so speaking as someone who works in a children’s library, they’re great to recommend to reluctant readers. It also adds a certain authenticity to the narration, because it almost feels like a journal – a way for the character to make sense of and cope with challenges. Personally though, I have a hard time with this format for a novel. At points, I can’t help but think that the narrative and language would be just as powerful if written in prose. Often times the character is simply relaying something that’s happening in the story, and it doesn’t require being separated into lines and stanzas. Sometimes the line breaks are just plain awkward, but at the end of the day, it’s personal preference. And regardless of the writing style not being my cup of tea, the language itself is breathtaking, and I can appreciate why so many readers love books in verse.
Overall, Clap When You Land is a moving story about the heaviness of grief paired with the hurtfulness of deceit and betrayal. More importantly, the tone is hopeful, as it’s also about discovery, forgiveness, family, friendship, and love.
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