Clap When You Land shows a master of the form at work, with a nuanced and brilliant examination of race, class, sexuality and grief. It has stuck with me, ingraining itself into my consciousness and leaving me unable to forget Camino and Yahaira’s stories. To me, that’s the mark of a phenomenal book.
I’ve spoken before about the innate emotional intensity that verse holds and I think it’s important to revisit that when considering this stunning example. the sparsity of language means that every word is precisely selected to produce maximum effect and Acevedo capitalises on this, welding her verse like a weapon in order to produce the maximum emotional effect on the reader. Every page brims over with the character’s emotion, it infuses every word, creating a powerful, unique reading experience. Her use of structure, with the opposing voices that occasionally intertwine, really helps to shape the characters and give them running motifs that represent themselves perfectly.
Of course, it helps that we have two distinctive voices in the shapes of Camino and Yahaira. they are both so relatable and easy to connect to, their characters being fleshed out in just a few words but feeling so rich and real. After a while, you no longer need to check who is speaking, as their voices become so familiar, it’s as though you’re talking to an old friend. There’s some impressive character development, as they learn from one another and mutually grow, allowing for a hopeful ending to a bittersweet story tinged with sadness. After all, they are brought together by blood and tragedy, but emerge bonded by so much more. I also loved the relationship between Dre and Yahaira, which felt so natural and easy. Love bloomed from the pages they shared and cast a warm glow over darker aspects of the story.
I really liked how Acevedo explored the raw experience of grief and the differing reactions people have to it. She weaves a rich tapestry that combines individual and cultural differences, but it reflects my own in such an inexplicably perfect way. It permeates every aspect of your life and is a burden you learn to adapt to live with, not an easily solved puzzle. Acevedo just gets this and I will treasure this book forever because of that.
I’ve spoken before about the innate emotional intensity that verse holds and I think it’s important to revisit that when considering this stunning example. the sparsity of language means that every word is precisely selected to produce maximum effect and Acevedo capitalises on this, welding her verse like a weapon in order to produce the maximum emotional effect on the reader. Every page brims over with the character’s emotion, it infuses every word, creating a powerful, unique reading experience. Her use of structure, with the opposing voices that occasionally intertwine, really helps to shape the characters and give them running motifs that represent themselves perfectly.
Of course, it helps that we have two distinctive voices in the shapes of Camino and Yahaira. they are both so relatable and easy to connect to, their characters being fleshed out in just a few words but feeling so rich and real. After a while, you no longer need to check who is speaking, as their voices become so familiar, it’s as though you’re talking to an old friend. There’s some impressive character development, as they learn from one another and mutually grow, allowing for a hopeful ending to a bittersweet story tinged with sadness. After all, they are brought together by blood and tragedy, but emerge bonded by so much more. I also loved the relationship between Dre and Yahaira, which felt so natural and easy. Love bloomed from the pages they shared and cast a warm glow over darker aspects of the story.
I really liked how Acevedo explored the raw experience of grief and the differing reactions people have to it. She weaves a rich tapestry that combines individual and cultural differences, but it reflects my own in such an inexplicably perfect way. It permeates every aspect of your life and is a burden you learn to adapt to live with, not an easily solved puzzle. Acevedo just gets this and I will treasure this book forever because of that.