Gum, Death, and Signs

Eva Mercy, a thirty-two-year-old bestselling author and single mother, nearly chokes to death on gum while alone in her Brooklyn apartment. This near-death moment, both comic and sobering, sets the tone for her life: she's always on the edge, juggling motherhood, chronic pain, and a career writing the Cursed series—erotic supernatural novels that have both defined and trapped her. Eva's upbringing, marked by her eccentric Creole mother's belief in omens, has left her attuned to the universe's signals, even as she tries to ignore them. The gum incident is a harbinger, a sign that her world is about to change, though she's too busy to notice. Eva's resilience is her superpower, but it's also her curse—she's learned to push aside trauma and keep moving, never pausing to process the signs that might save or transform her.

Cursed Fame and Pain

Eva's life is a whirlwind of public adoration and private agony. At a raucous book club brunch, she's celebrated as a "sex goddess" by her devoted, mostly white, middle-aged fans, who revel in the fantasy world she's created. Yet, beneath the surface, Eva is wracked by debilitating migraines, a secret she hides behind humor and professionalism. Her Cursed series, once a passion project, now feels like a creative prison, but it pays the bills and secures her daughter Audre's future. Eva's public events are wild, her readers obsessed, but she's haunted by writer's block and the pressure to deliver another bestseller. The disconnect between her raunchy, confident author persona and her real, pain-filled, isolated self grows sharper, especially as she faces the reality that her own life is far less magical than the stories she tells.

Single Mom, Superhero

Back home, Eva navigates the chaos of single motherhood. Her daughter Audre, precocious and entrepreneurial, runs a secret therapy business for classmates, leading to a clash over boundaries and trust. Eva's relationship with Audre is loving but fraught—she wants to protect her daughter from the instability and pain of her own childhood, but struggles with discipline and guilt. Eva's ex-husband, Troy, is cheerful but distant, unable to handle the darkness of Eva's illness. Eva's best friend and editor, Cece, pushes her to step into the spotlight at a major literary panel, hoping to reignite her career and confidence. Eva's sense of responsibility is overwhelming; she's determined to be the strong, self-made role model her own mother never was, even as she feels herself unraveling under the weight of expectation and pain.

Haunted Pasts Collide

Eva's past is a tapestry of instability and danger. As a teenager, she moved constantly with her mother Lizette, a beautiful but unreliable woman who depended on men for survival. Eva learned early to fend for herself, managing her mother's life and her own chronic pain. A harrowing encounter with one of her mother's boyfriends—who threatens her safety—reveals Eva's resourcefulness and the roots of her mistrust. These formative experiences shape her adult life, fueling both her creative drive and her emotional guardedness. The legacy of trauma, secrecy, and self-reliance is a thread that runs through Eva's relationships, especially as she's forced to confront the ways her past still haunts her present.

The Panel Sparks

At the Brooklyn Museum's "State of the Black Author" panel, Eva is thrust into the literary spotlight alongside celebrated peers. The discussion is lively, touching on the challenges Black authors face—genre pigeonholing, whitewashing, and the expectation to write only about trauma. Eva's Cursed series is both celebrated and dismissed as "fluff," highlighting the tension between commercial success and literary respect. The panel takes a dramatic turn when Shane Hall, a reclusive, critically acclaimed novelist—and Eva's long-lost teenage love—makes a surprise appearance. Their charged exchange, full of subtext and unresolved emotion, electrifies the room and reopens old wounds. The public setting forces Eva and Shane to confront their shared history, even as they try to maintain composure.

Old Wounds, New Words

The onstage reunion between Eva and Shane is fraught with tension and longing. Their banter is sharp, layered with personal history and mutual admiration. Shane's deep reading of Eva's work—and hers of his—reveals how they've been writing to and about each other for years, using fiction to process their pain and connection. The audience senses the intimacy beneath their words, and Eva is both flattered and unsettled by Shane's presence. The encounter leaves her reeling, forced to acknowledge the depth of their unfinished business. Both are haunted by the past, but neither is ready to admit how much they still care.

The Bleachers, 2004

A flashback to 2004 reveals the origins of Eva and Shane's bond. As teenagers, both are outsiders—Eva, a new girl with a traumatic home life and self-harm scars; Shane, a foster kid with a history of violence and addiction. They meet on the high school bleachers, their banter prickly but honest. Each recognizes the other's pain and darkness, forging an immediate, intense connection. Their friendship is a lifeline, offering understanding and acceptance neither has found elsewhere. The seeds of their adult relationship are sown in this crucible of shared vulnerability and survival, setting the stage for the love and loss that will define them.

Mantras and Mentors

In the present, Shane is a changed man—sober, disciplined, and devoted to mentoring at-risk youth. His work with Ty, a troubled student, is both a form of atonement and a way to channel his own pain. Shane's mantra, a gift from Eva, helps him and his students navigate anger and adversity. Despite his literary fame, Shane is most fulfilled by helping others escape the cycles that nearly destroyed him. Yet, his sense of responsibility is heavy, and he fears repeating past mistakes. The call to return to New York and face Eva is as much about seeking closure as it is about making amends for the ways he's failed those he loves.

Unfinished Business

Eva and Shane's reunion is awkward, charged, and irresistible. They meet privately, each trying to maintain boundaries while old feelings surge. Their conversation is a dance of confession and deflection—acknowledging the ways they've written each other into their work, the pain of their separation, and the fear of repeating old patterns. Both are wary, scarred by the past, but the pull between them is undeniable. As they spend more time together, the line between friendship and romance blurs, and the possibility of a second chance becomes both thrilling and terrifying.

Dream House Temptations

A visit to a meditative art installation—the Dream House—becomes a turning point. In the dark, womb-like space, Eva and Shane drop their defenses and give in to their desire. Their physical connection is electric, but it's also a leap of faith—an act of trust after years of self-protection. The experience is both healing and destabilizing, reigniting the passion and pain that have always defined their relationship. For Eva, the encounter is a reminder of the risks of loving Shane; for Shane, it's a taste of the home he's always craved but never believed he deserved.

Family, Feathers, and Fights

Eva's relationship with Audre is tested as secrets come to light. Audre, ever perceptive, senses the changes in her mother and confronts her about Shane. Their fight is raw, exposing Eva's guilt over her limitations as a mother and her fear of repeating her own mother's mistakes. Meanwhile, Audre's art project—a portrait of her grandmother Lizette—becomes a symbol of the family's complicated legacy. Eva is forced to reckon with the ways she's rewritten history to protect Audre, and the ways the past continues to shape their present. The struggle to break generational curses and build a healthier future is at the heart of their bond.

Truths, Promises, and Pain

As Eva and Shane grow closer, old wounds resurface. Eva confronts her mother about the events that tore her and Shane apart as teenagers, learning that Lizette's actions—meant to protect—were also acts of betrayal. The truth is painful, but it offers a path to understanding and, perhaps, forgiveness. Meanwhile, Shane's sense of responsibility to his students is tested when tragedy strikes, forcing him to confront the limits of his ability to save others. Both Eva and Shane must decide whether they can move beyond the pain of the past and trust themselves—and each other—with a future.

The Curse of Leaving

The cycle of leaving and being left is a recurring theme in Eva and Shane's lives. Both have been shaped by abandonment—by parents, lovers, and even themselves. Their reunion is shadowed by the fear that history will repeat itself, that love is always fleeting, always doomed. Yet, in their moments of honesty and connection, they glimpse the possibility of breaking the curse. The question becomes whether they can choose each other, not just in moments of passion, but in the everyday work of building a life together.

Reunions and Revelations

At a glamorous literary party, Eva and Shane's relationship becomes public knowledge, thanks to the ever-watchful eyes of fans and friends. The exposure is both exhilarating and terrifying, forcing them to confront the reality of being seen—flaws, history, and all. Their friends, especially Cece and Audre, play crucial roles in supporting and challenging them. The sense of community—messy, loving, and sometimes intrusive—offers both comfort and pressure. Eva and Shane must decide whether they can embrace their story, not as a secret or a fantasy, but as a real, imperfect love.

Writing the Real Story

Eva's journey comes full circle as she decides to end the Cursed series and write the story that has always haunted her: the saga of the Mercier women. Inspired by her ancestors' resilience and her own hard-won self-acceptance, Eva embraces the messiness of her life and her right to tell her own story. The act of writing becomes an act of liberation, a way to honor the past while forging a new future. The cameo ring, passed down through generations, becomes a symbol of continuity and change—a reminder that DNA, like stories, is both inheritance and choice.

Seven Days, Second Chances

In the final days of June, Eva and Shane face the ultimate test: can they choose each other, despite fear, grief, and uncertainty? After a series of misunderstandings and missed connections, they are brought together by the machinations of friends and the undeniable pull of fate. Their reunion is both ordinary and extraordinary—a quiet dinner, a shared laugh, a promise to try again. The story ends not with a fairy-tale resolution, but with the hope that love, when chosen and nurtured, can break even the oldest curses. Seven days in June become a lifetime's worth of healing, growth, and possibility.

Characters

Eva Mercy (Genevieve Mercier)

Eva is a bestselling author, single mother, and chronic pain sufferer whose life is defined by both strength and vulnerability. Raised by an unstable, beautiful mother, Eva learned early to fend for herself, developing a sharp wit and a fierce sense of responsibility. Her Cursed series is both her salvation and her prison—a way to process trauma and a source of creative stagnation. Eva's relationship with her daughter Audre is loving but fraught, shaped by her determination to break the cycles of neglect and pain that marked her own childhood. Psychologically, Eva is a study in contrasts: outwardly confident, inwardly plagued by self-doubt and fear of abandonment. Her journey is one of learning to trust—herself, her art, and the possibility of love that doesn't hurt.

Shane Hall

Shane is a critically acclaimed novelist whose life has been marked by violence, addiction, and loss. A product of the foster system, he's both deeply empathetic and emotionally guarded, using writing as a way to make sense of a chaotic world. Shane's relationship with Eva is the axis around which his life turns—she is both muse and mirror, the one person who sees and accepts his darkness. As an adult, Shane channels his pain into mentoring at-risk youth, seeking to break the cycles that nearly destroyed him. His sobriety is hard-won, and his greatest fear is that he will fail those who depend on him. Shane's arc is one of learning to forgive himself, to accept love, and to believe that he is worthy of happiness.

Audre Mercy-Moore

Audre is Eva's twelve-year-old daughter, a whip-smart, entrepreneurial, and emotionally astute girl who often acts as the adult in their relationship. She is both a product of her mother's fierce love and a catalyst for Eva's growth, challenging her to be honest and vulnerable. Audre's own struggles—with identity, friendship, and the pressures of being "exceptional"—mirror Eva's, but she is determined to forge her own path. Her relationship with Shane is immediate and genuine, offering him a glimpse of the family he's always longed for. Audre is the embodiment of hope—the possibility that cycles can be broken and new stories written.

Lizette Mercier

Lizette is Eva's mother, a former beauty queen whose life is a series of reinventions and disappointments. She is both glamorous and neglectful, loving and damaging—a woman who survives by her wits and charms, but is ultimately unable to provide the stability her daughter needs. Lizette's own history is marked by trauma and loss, and her belief in curses and signs is both a coping mechanism and a source of generational pain. Her relationship with Eva is complicated, defined by both longing and resentment. Lizette's actions—especially her role in separating Eva and Shane—are both protective and destructive, reflecting the tangled legacy of the Mercier women.

Cece Sinclair

Cece is Eva's best friend, editor, and surrogate big sister—a glamorous, powerful figure in the Black literary world. She is both nurturing and pushy, always scheming to advance Eva's career and happiness. Cece's own life is carefully curated, her emotional depth often hidden behind a veneer of competence and style. She is the glue that holds the community together, orchestrating events and relationships with a deft hand. Cece's belief in Eva is unwavering, and her interventions—though sometimes meddlesome—are always rooted in love.

Ty Boyle

Ty is one of Shane's mentees, a large, troubled teenager in Providence who struggles with anger, poverty, and a lack of support. His relationship with Shane is transformative for both—Ty finds in Shane a rare adult who believes in him, while Shane sees in Ty a reflection of his own lost youth. Ty's tragic fate is a turning point for Shane, forcing him to confront the limits of his ability to save others and the importance of self-forgiveness. Ty represents the stakes of the cycles Shane and Eva are fighting to break.

Belinda Love

Belinda is a celebrated poet and close friend to Eva and Cece. She is both grounded and eccentric, blending spiritual practices with a sharp sense of humor and a healthy appetite for pleasure. Belinda's presence offers levity and perspective, reminding Eva not to take herself—or her problems—too seriously. She is a model of self-acceptance and joy, embodying the possibility of living fully despite (or because of) one's quirks.

Troy Moore

Troy is Eva's ex-husband and Audre's father, a Pixar animator whose optimism and simplicity are both comforting and infuriating to Eva. He is unable to handle the complexity of Eva's pain, retreating into positivity and eventually into a new, easier life. Troy's role in Eva's story is to highlight the difference between safety and fulfillment, and to underscore the challenges of co-parenting when emotional needs go unmet.

Jenna Jones

Jenna is a fashion editor and host, a new friend who enters Eva's orbit through Cece. She represents the vibrant, interconnected world of Black creatives in New York, offering both professional opportunities and personal camaraderie. Jenna's presence in the story underscores the importance of community and the ways women support each other's ambitions.

Shane's Students (Marisol, Datuan, Reginald)

These students, though minor characters, are crucial to understanding Shane's sense of purpose and responsibility. Each represents a different facet of the challenges facing marginalized youth—poverty, violence, neglect—and the transformative power of mentorship. Their interactions with Shane reveal his capacity for empathy and the ways in which helping others is both a gift and a burden.

Plot Devices

Dual Timelines and Flashbacks

The novel's structure alternates between the present-day reunion of Eva and Shane and flashbacks to their intense, traumatic teenage romance. This dual timeline allows the reader to see how past wounds inform present choices, and how the echoes of first love reverberate through adulthood. The flashbacks are not just exposition—they are emotional anchors, revealing the origins of the characters' fears, desires, and patterns. The interplay between then and now creates suspense, deepens character development, and underscores the theme that healing is a process, not a destination.

Metafiction and Intertextuality

Both Eva and Shane are writers who use their art to process and communicate their pain. Their novels are thinly veiled autobiographies, and their public personas are shaped by the stories they tell. The Cursed series, in particular, becomes a meta-commentary on the power and limitations of fiction—how it can both reveal and obscure truth, offer escape and enforce confinement. The novel is rich with references to other works, genres, and cultural touchstones, inviting the reader to consider the ways stories shape identity and community.

Symbolism and Motifs

Recurring symbols—the cameo ring, the S and G scars, migraines, and the idea of curses—serve as tangible links between characters and generations. The ring, passed down through the Mercier women, is a symbol of inheritance, resilience, and the weight of history. Pain, both physical and emotional, is ever-present, shaping choices and relationships. The motif of curses—familial, romantic, societal—raises questions about fate, agency, and the possibility of breaking free.

Community and Found Family

The novel is populated by a vibrant cast of friends, colleagues, and fans who both support and complicate the protagonists' lives. Cece's parties, the literary panels, and the online fandoms are spaces where secrets are exposed, alliances are forged, and growth is catalyzed. The idea that family is chosen as much as inherited is central, offering hope that cycles can be broken and new stories written.

Foreshadowing and Circularity

From the opening scene, the novel is laced with foreshadowing—signs, near-death experiences, and the sense that history is always threatening to repeat itself. The structure is circular, with events and themes echoing across time. The seven days in June become both a literal and metaphorical frame, encapsulating the possibility of transformation within a finite, charged period.

Analysis

Seven Days in June is a luminous, emotionally charged exploration of love, trauma, and the power of storytelling. At its core, the novel asks whether two people, broken by their pasts, can find healing and wholeness together. Through the intertwined journeys of Eva and Shane, Tia Williams examines the ways we inherit pain—through family, culture, and personal history—and the courage it takes to break cycles and choose vulnerability. The book is also a sharp commentary on the literary world, especially the challenges faced by Black women writers: the pressure to perform, the erasure of complexity, and the hunger for stories that reflect the full spectrum of Black life. Williams uses metafiction, humor, and a vibrant supporting cast to create a world that is both specific and universal. The novel's greatest lesson is that love—messy, risky, and real—is not about erasing scars, but about learning to live with them, together. In the end, Seven Days in June is a celebration of second chances, the necessity of self-acceptance, and the transformative power of telling—and owning—one's own story.

Last updated: September 9, 2025