SEVEN DAYS in JUNE-Rates a 6.5 for a LIGHT SUMMER READ

Tia Williams latest novel, SEVEN DAYS in JUNE, is about two sexy, 30 something, writers who hooked up at seventeen and reconvene some 20 years later.  The two sense their original attraction is something  more than what came before.  Shane, is now a highly regarded writer having earned a Pulitzer Prize.   Eve is a successful author of a series of sensual, "Twilight, esq." novels that garner a cult following.  Together, they're dubbed "the Black book world's new prom king and queen."  Since the two went their separate ways, Eve has raised a precocious teenage daughter, with whom she shares a tight bond, perhaps too strong.  "Eve's self-worth depended on how her daughter thought of her.  She knew it was unhealthy."  Audre, Eve's daughter, is delightful with her mature vibrato which stems in part from being raised in an affluent, NYC neighborhood by a strong, single parent.  The mother/daughter dynamic between the Eve and Audre is what I found most captivating.  Williams focuses on the tumultuous upbringing Eve had with her mother who relied on the men in her life to care for her leaving Eve to fend for herself.  Williams is ambitious in the subjects she lilts upon; chronic illness, sexual abuse, and self-mutilation.  The book also dabbles in Haitian/Spanish file-flavored culture rich in both highly religious and colorfully superstitious customs.  The mirepoix of sexual tension, serious topics and light heartedness doesn't always congeal.  Still, the romance between Shane and Eve sizzles and all the characters are immensely likable to concoct a magical intoxication for a fun summer read. "I've always, loved you, he whispered.  What a coincidence, she whispered back.  I've always loved you, too.  Shakespeare, this star crossed lovers story, this is not.  But it is hot and it speaks to familial love that rings true.  "This is that family feeling, he thought.  Of total acceptance, belonging to people. A connection that eclipsed everything."  SEVEN DAYS in JUNE is a delightful summer read with a wink at Twilight fans who are now  probably 30 something or other.