Elizabeth Acevedo has created another story to shine a light on an experience, and to paint a picture that celebrates a certain place/culture. This is the kind of book you’ll pick up and find yourself reading…then look up to realise time has passed, you have finished and the images in your head are as vivid as the moment you read them.
The story focuses on two characters, both girls. One lives in the Dominican Republic and the other in America. Neither knows about the other. But when their father – on his way to stay with his second family – is killed in a plane crash their lives become intertwined in ways they’re not prepared for.
The verse is quite sparse, yet it conveys precisely the mood and experiences of these two girls. The depiction of grief was sensitive, yet there was a positivity to this with regard to how the girls change that I wasn’t expecting.
This was a genuine pleasure to read, and thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read it prior to publication.