I have such envy for those of you who have not read this yet, because I would give a whole lot to experience the enchantment of this novel for the first time again. 

There are so many things to love about The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (Taylor Jenkins Reid, 2018), many of which have to do with its ability to break your heart in several different places. I have never been a huge fan of period pieces, but this one was easily digestible and so captivating that it has opened my eyes to the wonder of Old Hollywood. As someone who guiltlessly indulges in gossip surrounding celebrities, this book becomes hard to put down around a hundred pages in due to the realistic nature of getting an “inside look” at one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Once the reader starts to see what Evelyn’s true desires are and what she’s willing to do to grasp them, it’s difficult not to read on to see how she navigates the life of a woman shrouded in fame. With the way that Seven Husbands is written, the reader is left craving more after every page; Reid’s tendency to captivate the reader – shown through Evelyn’s tendency to captivate an audience – is heavily emphasized by the character-driven nature of this book. I find it hard to believe that anyone finished this book not in a daze of being enamored by Evelyn Hugo and distraught with how unlikable she truly is. Personally, I fell in love with Evelyn Hugo and I am shattered by it. 

Diversity and representation is tackled both within the plot of this story and by the story itself. Our narrator, Monique, is half-black and expresses her discontent with being seen as “not black enough”. Evelyn, our protagonist, is the daughter of Cuban immigrants but buries that side of herself in order to advance in her career, later realizing what a tragedy that act really was. Both Monique and Evelyn have their own inner dialogue when it comes to what their heritage and culture means to them, and how representation in the media – or lack thereof – has shaped their lives and their perspectives on their identities. I will admit that there were times where I felt as though Monique’s identity was somewhat of a plot device and not delved into quite enough; in fact, when it came to Evelyn’s declaration and emphasization of being bisexual and not a lesbian, Reid’s comparison of being biracial to being bisexual felt… icky. I can definitely see where her thought process was going and where she came from, but from an author who is a white woman especially, it felt quite performative. 

As the reader is taken through Evelyn’s various marriages and what was occurring in her personal life outside of her marriages, we learn that the title of this book, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, is a cleverly used misrepresentation of her actual priorities. Even the way that the book is marketed is synonymous to internet clickbait – a subtle reference to the misrepresentation of her life in the tabloids. We learn that what really mattered to Evelyn wasn’t truly her husbands, but climbing the ladder to the top of stardom in any way possible. She would have done anything, most clearly seen at the beginning of her story, to get out of where she was raised and prove to everyone that she can do anything and be anyone. Evelyn is one of the most enigmatic, intoxicating, evocative literary characters I have ever had the pleasure of coming across and I will never forget how she made me fall in love with a character that I swore I didn’t like very much. She dealt with publicity-stunt dating and defamation by blackballing. She stared the blatant sexism that runs rampant in the industry right in the face and found a way to use it to her advantage because she cared so much about proving herself, and a byproduct of this was the necessity of seven different husbands. Not to say that she never cared about any of her husbands; Don at first, until he started beating and mistreating her, and Harry, her best friend that garnered more of her love than any of the other six husbands combined. None of them measured up to Evelyn’s love for her own ambition to succeed. That, and the actual love of her life, Celia St. James. 

The love story between Evelyn and Celia is the main reason why this book already feels so memorable. It was intense, it was raw, it was so unbelievably toxic, and I obsessed over it. The two of them loved each other with such ferocity that it was like looking at the sun, and several times they had to call it off for their own sakes. Celia, brave Celia, willing to risk everything to hold Evelyn’s hand in public; and Evelyn, clever Evelyn, willing to do whatever it takes to love out loud in secret. I have read a review here and there that argued for Evelyn’s side or for Celia’s side, claiming that if Evelyn would have just understood Celia’s viewpoint and vice versa, then they could have been happy together. That just isn’t the reality and that was the whole point of the (at times) egregious relationship. There was no way for Evelyn to understand Celia’s side because Celia didn’t have the same need for fame, and Celia could never understand Evelyn because at the end of the day, her and Evelyn’s relationship mattered to her almost too much. Reid explores the subtlety of biphobia and how while it can be a loud, obnoxious thing, it can also sneak its way, under the radar, into the minds of those who love a bisexual person. Celia’s unfortunate and blatant biphobia was jarring, but it’s realistic, and it was powerful to watch Evelyn defend her bisexuality with such grace and certainty. 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is such an entertaining and heartbreaking read that covers so many important topics, and I highly recommend it. Live through Evelyn’s life with her, learn from her many mistakes, love to hate her and hate to love her. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a fantastic and thoughtful storyteller that delivers catastrophic emotions directly to your front door, packaged with a bow and everything. She grips you tight and never lets go – I finished the book last week and am already planning a reread. Evelyn Hugo, you mesmerizing, mystifying, marvelous woman, you. 

check out the quick review here!!