Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo (audiobook)

 genre: young adult fiction

Camino and Yahaira are two girls separated by more than the ocean between New York City and the Dominican Republic, by more than economic opportunities, by more than the fact that they each see their father for only (different) parts of the year.  They are separated by secrets - so many secrets - that Camino and Yahaira do not even know that the other exists, do not even know that they share a beloved, and complicated, Papi who has his own ways of showing love to them both. 

Inspired by the tragic plane crash of flight AA587, Papi's death at the beginning of the novel is a tug on the string the lies and secrets that slowly begin to unravel and wreak emotional havoc on both Camino and Yahaira.  Two strong young girls, with big dreams and bitter disappointments - I loved how the book let us switch between these two narrators, allowing us to explore their anguish and the amazing resilience that we can reap when we allow our hearts to open up to new people, new ideas, and, most importantly, forgiveness.

Set in two countries,  Clap When You Land reminds us that every person has a story, that each person who passes away leaves behind a history and a present that can make grief heartbreaking and complicated.  It is a story of the family-you-choose and the family-that-chooses-you.  Elizabeth Acevedo is a master at the art of free verse and I love how powerful her words are in this book, over and over, pointing out nuance and beauty, digging into the deepest heart of what she needs us to see.

I listened to the audio version and the two different narrators were fantastic, it's a great production.  I really enjoyed it.