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July and Everything After
Maya’s journey from America to her birth country was meant to be a nostalgic visit.
Instead, it became a fight for survival.
On the eve of Maya's 22nd birthday, civil war breaks out in South Asia. During what will become known as “Black July,” Maya is targeted and attacked in the organized massacres and pogroms against minorities, and she barely escapes the genocidal chaos.
Haunted by the horrors she witnessed, Maya returns to the US and tries to rally a diverse group of allies to help expose the atrocities in her birth country, among them her Norwegian-American best friend, a magnanimous Catholic nun, and a gifted young man from her past.
Bent on justice, Maya isn’t prepared for the unexpected twists and turns, and confrontations with a nemesis that will test her resolve. As the war and humanitarian crisis intensify, so does Maya’s disillusionment with herself, but contact with a mysterious mentor whose wisdom she once ignored holds the key to her future.
Fans of Paolo Coelho, Amy Tan, Vaddey Ratner, and Khaled Hosseini will be captivated by July and Everything After, a modern tale of resilience and transformation against extraordinary odds.
First Horizon Award Finalist, a distinction presented by the Eric Hoffer Book Awards to celebrate superior debut works.
Eric Hoffer Award Grand Prize Short List.
Hawthorne Prize Short List.
*
Instead, it became a fight for survival.
On the eve of Maya's 22nd birthday, civil war breaks out in South Asia. During what will become known as “Black July,” Maya is targeted and attacked in the organized massacres and pogroms against minorities, and she barely escapes the genocidal chaos.
Haunted by the horrors she witnessed, Maya returns to the US and tries to rally a diverse group of allies to help expose the atrocities in her birth country, among them her Norwegian-American best friend, a magnanimous Catholic nun, and a gifted young man from her past.
Bent on justice, Maya isn’t prepared for the unexpected twists and turns, and confrontations with a nemesis that will test her resolve. As the war and humanitarian crisis intensify, so does Maya’s disillusionment with herself, but contact with a mysterious mentor whose wisdom she once ignored holds the key to her future.
Fans of Paolo Coelho, Amy Tan, Vaddey Ratner, and Khaled Hosseini will be captivated by July and Everything After, a modern tale of resilience and transformation against extraordinary odds.
First Horizon Award Finalist, a distinction presented by the Eric Hoffer Book Awards to celebrate superior debut works.
Eric Hoffer Award Grand Prize Short List.
Hawthorne Prize Short List.
*
240 pages, Hardcover
Published September 16, 2024
9 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 20, 2024
TITLE: JULY AND EVERYTHING AFTER
AUTHOR: ALLIE NAVA
THOUGHTS:
JULY AND EVERYTHING AFTER by author ALLIE NAVA is a work of fiction based on true events that follows a young woman who survived the horrors of Black July and anti- Tamil pogrom that occurred in the capital city of Colombo in Sri Lanka on July 1983.
Nava’s compelling and gripping story paints a picture of a woman who suffered through trauma, and though living in America has her heart and soul in her homeland, never giving up on her healing and her home. In five parts, Maya’s journey is explored in a hopeful message. It is a story of identity, survival, resilience, and speaking the silenced voices of the victims.
A fantastic debut from a new voice in fiction!
AUTHOR: ALLIE NAVA
THOUGHTS:
JULY AND EVERYTHING AFTER by author ALLIE NAVA is a work of fiction based on true events that follows a young woman who survived the horrors of Black July and anti- Tamil pogrom that occurred in the capital city of Colombo in Sri Lanka on July 1983.
Nava’s compelling and gripping story paints a picture of a woman who suffered through trauma, and though living in America has her heart and soul in her homeland, never giving up on her healing and her home. In five parts, Maya’s journey is explored in a hopeful message. It is a story of identity, survival, resilience, and speaking the silenced voices of the victims.
A fantastic debut from a new voice in fiction!
August 12, 2025
In 1983, a state-sponsored genocide now known as Black July left Sri Lankan Tamils fighting for their lives. Through the eyes of Maya, an American college graduate visiting family in Sri Lanka at that time, Allie Nava paints an unflinching portrait of survival and resilience in the face of unimaginable violence. Maya’s journey begins in devastation. Pulled off a train with her father and subjected to horrific physical and sexual violence, the first chapter is a breathless escape that sets the tone for the rest of the novel.
Readers follow Maya and her family on a harrowing journey back to the United States. Once home, she avoids confronting the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), instead fixating on America’s obliviousness to the pogrom. Her growing disillusionment with her home community fuels her determination to raise awareness. She leans on a patchwork of high school friends, confidants, and even adversaries in her efforts, but each connection leads to disappointment, deepening her sense of helplessness. Despite reminders from her family and friends, Maya neglects her mental health as her advocacy consumes her.
Nava’s narration pulses with urgency, while the plot reckons with the maddening inaction of the United States government and its motivations. The tension peaks as Maya faces rejection from the Sri Lankan diaspora, Congressional representatives, and even her friends. Alongside this, she grapples with her fraught identity as a Sri Lankan-American and growing up without her mother, compounded by PTSD. Her survivors guilt propels her toward increasingly desperate actions and questionable alliances, as her mental state spirals.
Nava raises a profound question: How do we balance self-preservation against the consequences of inaction? Her story resonates deeply with contemporary America. The privilege of selective engagement in world affairs is uniquely afforded to Americans, but Nava challenges readers to confront the costs of inaction—even when it threatens the fragile comfort of the American bubble.
Readers follow Maya and her family on a harrowing journey back to the United States. Once home, she avoids confronting the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), instead fixating on America’s obliviousness to the pogrom. Her growing disillusionment with her home community fuels her determination to raise awareness. She leans on a patchwork of high school friends, confidants, and even adversaries in her efforts, but each connection leads to disappointment, deepening her sense of helplessness. Despite reminders from her family and friends, Maya neglects her mental health as her advocacy consumes her.
Nava’s narration pulses with urgency, while the plot reckons with the maddening inaction of the United States government and its motivations. The tension peaks as Maya faces rejection from the Sri Lankan diaspora, Congressional representatives, and even her friends. Alongside this, she grapples with her fraught identity as a Sri Lankan-American and growing up without her mother, compounded by PTSD. Her survivors guilt propels her toward increasingly desperate actions and questionable alliances, as her mental state spirals.
Nava raises a profound question: How do we balance self-preservation against the consequences of inaction? Her story resonates deeply with contemporary America. The privilege of selective engagement in world affairs is uniquely afforded to Americans, but Nava challenges readers to confront the costs of inaction—even when it threatens the fragile comfort of the American bubble.
September 20, 2024
Thank you @dartfrog for the -#gifted copy.
Maya’s story was heartbreaking. She desperately wants to help her birth country, Sri Lanka after witnessing first-hand the horror and terror of the civil war. She returns to America unable to remove it from her mind. After all, her entire life she has always been different. An outcast because of her skin, because of what she wears, because of her lack of money and social influence.
Maya wants to make a difference. She is determined to find someone who will listen. She reaches out to everyone she knows to help her. Her former classmate won’t help. Maya can’t convince her grandmother to leave Sri Lanka. The US Government won’t help. It isn’t until it all fails that she finally listens to a former Monk for guidance. Then her life all clicks into place including her relationship with Jase.
Maya’s story was heartbreaking. She desperately wants to help her birth country, Sri Lanka after witnessing first-hand the horror and terror of the civil war. She returns to America unable to remove it from her mind. After all, her entire life she has always been different. An outcast because of her skin, because of what she wears, because of her lack of money and social influence.
Maya wants to make a difference. She is determined to find someone who will listen. She reaches out to everyone she knows to help her. Her former classmate won’t help. Maya can’t convince her grandmother to leave Sri Lanka. The US Government won’t help. It isn’t until it all fails that she finally listens to a former Monk for guidance. Then her life all clicks into place including her relationship with Jase.
October 21, 2024
A heart-wrenching story about real life atrocities but a story which also gives one permission to move forward from fear, pain and anger with non-judgmental acceptance of humanity; to carry on, to heal, and to take action according to those things that can be controlled.
PG for disturbing themes of racial genocide, civil violence, and attempted rape. No language and no sex. Violence was described, but not in a disturbingly graphic manner. Well written and well edited. Additional triggers may include mental health, feelings of helplessness, and post-traumatic stress.
PG for disturbing themes of racial genocide, civil violence, and attempted rape. No language and no sex. Violence was described, but not in a disturbingly graphic manner. Well written and well edited. Additional triggers may include mental health, feelings of helplessness, and post-traumatic stress.
November 19, 2024
A young girl healing journey as she comes to terms with her experience in the civil war in Sri Lanka, moving to America, and returning to help others. A poignant account of resilience through trauma.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews