The Wednesday Review: Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

The Book:

Book Title: Clap When You Land

Book Author: Elizabeth Acevedo

Genre: Adult Mystery/ Thriller

Publishing Date: May 5th, 2020

Publisher: Quill Tree Books

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.

Content Warning: Sexual Assault and attempted rape

                     

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The Review:

“How can you lose an entire person, only to gain a part of them back in someone entirely new?”

Acevedo has done it again. She has captured my heart with written word like no other! Clap When You Land was everything I had hoped it would be! It was a slow burn of a story with amazing emotional depth, sprinkled with life lessons and beauty!

This author has proven time and again that she can portray an array of messages and emotions with few words. Written in verse, like The Poet X, Clap When You Land was a heartfelt story about how differently we all respond to grief. It was a play on the age-old adage “the grass isn’t always greener on the other side,” as well as the idea of letting go of preconceived notions of someone.

The story boasted about the human connection being everywhere, even if we can’t see it or don’t know it. Acevedo wrote a powerful story about how kindness matters and how important it is for women to uplift other women, and to be there for each other, because we are stronger together. Her story showed that there is beauty in life and death, and in learning about the lives someone has touched.

But, besides the message about how important it is for women to empower one another, what I loved most about the story was how it proved that you are who you are and you are not just defined by your parents, but by your choices, and your heart. And, the beauty about finding all these messages, lessons, whatever you want to call them, is the fact that Acevedo threw all of this at us without us even realizing it. While reading, I found that I was just naturally thinking about all these things.

Clap When You Land was a powerful story about grief. It was a story about learning that sometimes you can never truly know someone But, it was also a story about family, friendship, and figuring out what’s really important, and ignoring petty things, prejudices, and past betrayals. It was about forgiveness and finding yourself and your strength, both through yourself, and through those around you. It touched my heart and soul, and left me in tears (in a good way).

“..when the crossroads are open to you, you must decide a path. I will not stand still while the world makes my choices.”

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

All quotes are from the book, written by the author, and may not be final, as this was an uncorrected advanced copy.

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Darque Dreamer

Blogger/ Punk Rocker / Quirky

Housewife

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