As the weeks pass, her aunt, Tia unravels the truth to Camino about the existence of Yahaira, her sister. While El Cero represents a looming threat, ever-mounting financial trouble in the wake of her father’s death threatens her desires to leave the island. Camino, on her part, tries hard to stay on the right track and survive this dog-eat-dog world, wrestling her fate for a safe environment to thrive in. El Cero keeps luring Camino into a seedy life that has trapped many other girls. His tragic death dashes any hopes Camino has for becoming a doctor and escaping El Cero, a dealer in underage prostitutes.

“Clap when you land is an outstanding read,” writes Medha Setia. However, that summer the plane her father is travelling in, crashes. Every June, she looks forward to the time when her father can travel to the Dominican Republic and spend the summer with her. She yearns of moving to New York City for higher education and ultimately studying medicine. Camino Rios and life in the Dominican RepublicĬamino Rios, a sixteen-year-old, lives a humble life with her aunt in Puerto Plata after her mother died a decade earlier.

Truths that unravel intertwine Camino and Yahaira’s fate and slowly forge a bond between them. The father dies in the crash and that is when Camino understands the existence of Yahaira. However, when an American Airlines flight bound for the Dominican Republic crashes in Queens, New York his efforts go down in vain. Their father ensures that the two families never cross paths. This story conveys that a parental figure despite being deeply flawed remains an integral part of their children’s life. Separated by the Atlantic Ocean the only string that connects them is their father. It is a tale of two sisters, Yahaira and Camino, who are oblivious to the existence of the other. To get out the essence of a long plot in verse takes some doing and that is the beauty of Clap When You Land-it is poetry in motion! It also delves into family relationships. It is a narrative that burrows deep into the reader’s mind nudging them to see the plot through the character’s perspective, exploring the depths of grief. It is an outstanding read and I recommend everyone to read it at least once.Ĭlap When You Land written by Elizabeth Acevedo is yet another novel in verse that explores the intricacies of bittersweet bonds and the devastation of loss. This book is poignant and impossible to put down as it breathes life into the fictional characters that develop and mature as the story unfolds. The verses written are deft at sifting through the complex emotions that arise in the wake of great loss and love born amid grief. The Essence: This is a powerful, heartbreaking, and compelling novel. By Medha Setia | Opening Doorz Editorial | July 11, 2021

Clap when you land yahaira