Title & author
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
Synopsis
Seven Days in June centers three important, interwoven conversations: the dismissal of chronic illnesses, the problematic assumptions people possess about disabilities, and Black joy.
Who should read this book
Everyone
What we’re thinking about
Those romance scenes (*swoon*)
Trigger warning(s)
Physical violence, substance abuse, self-harm, abandonment, mental health, racism
Over the past few years, there’s been a surge of celebrity book clubs. From Reese Witherspoon’s to Belletrist to Read with Jenna, there are a number of ways for readers to “read with” their favorite celeb. On the one hand, these clubs possess a strong importance. They encourage the necessity of literature and, with their wide reach, the popularity of some critical titles—however, whether they live up to the latter of these is debatable.* To many, Seven Days in June by Tia Williams (Grand Central, 2021) might not have been the “obvious” pick for Reese’s Book Club—a club that has a history of centering stories by white, cis, straight women. Yet the title is an example of the type of stories such book clubs should be spotlighting. Seven Days centers three important, interwoven conversations: the dismissal of chronic illnesses, the problematic assumptions people possess about disabilities, and Black joy.
A romance novel, Seven Days follows Eva, a bestselling author, single mother, and Brooklyn transplant. Since she was young, Eva has been suffering from chronic migraines, a disability that requires pain tranquilizers and daily medication. However, Eva has a “well-practiced fake-out” she uses when experiencing a migraine in public, shifting her facial expressions and mannerisms to pretend nothing is wrong (Williams, 11). Because of problematic, societal assumptions, Eva hides her pain. And even if she were to share it, “her disability was invisible…her level of suffering seemed unfathomable for others to fathom” (12).
But Williams makes clear from page one that chronic migraines do not define Eva, rather they are just one aspect of her life. “In the year of our Lord 2019, thirty-two-year-old Eva Mercy nearly choked to death on a piece of gum. She’d been attempting to masturbate…” (1). Immediately, key themes appear in the story that dismantle ableist stereotypes of disability: that disabled individuals are non-sexual; that disability does not leave space for humor; and that disability erases humanity. Nowhere in this opening is her disability disclosed. And when it is finally addressed, it's amidst a party celebrating Eva’s success as a romance novelist. These themes continue throughout the novel, with Eva being “a damn good mom and a capable novelist,” as well as “unfairly sexy” (1, 87).
Williams, herself suffering from chronic migraines, has crafted a novel that so strongly conveys a multitude of emotions on every page. She confronts the stigma that romance novels are not “real literature,” painting a story of financial, career, and familial success. Combined with the societal stigmas around disability, Seven Days in June is an extremely representative piece of storytelling; it’s a read that many readers can identify with and a story that others can gain emotional competency from. These are the stories that book clubs should be choosing—the stories that are vastly important and not as likely to be widely spread, whether because they are published by a small house, are by an author of a community that has historically been marginalized, or have a smaller marketing budget (and, incredibly important to note, not because they are lesser). By doing so, they emphasize the importance of not just these stories, but of these real-life lives.
*All of this comes with the disclaimer that such book clubs should not be “praised” for selecting such stories, either.
“For so long and in so many ways, Eva had been holding herself back. Now she wanted to figure out who she was—and then be her, delight in her.”
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Do you find book club selections important? What books would you like to see these clubs choose?
Williams has crafted a wonderful mother-daughter relationship between Eva and Audre. What aspect of their relationship did you admire the most?
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