There have been few books in my life that have made me cry, gasp and clutch my chest as though the characters and the heartache they feel is real. There has never been a book I have been so gripped by that it has affected my ability to work and socialize. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid made me fall in love with reading again and open my eyes to the sheer brilliance that can be woven through a piece of fiction.
I first heard of The Seven Husbands in October 2019 after hearing it praised on a podcast that often reviews the latest in queer media. I picked up a copy immediately, (though only got around to it during quarantine!) because if the girls from Two Dykes and a Mic podcast loved it, then I may too, (more on them another time).
The book, published in 2017, follows the exquisite, mysterious and often harsh Evelyn Hugo from her humble beginnings entering the Hollywood scene in the 1950s as a young Cuban actress. Evelyn is not wholly likeable, which I like. She fits into the ‘complex female star’ trope, but in more nuanced ways. Throughout the novel, Evelyn often does things she knows will hurt herself, her reputation or her love interest, but she believes her actions, such as meddling with the press or marrying another leading man, will ultimately set her on the right path.
Though the novel moves through the decades as readers follow Evelyn’s life, it begins in present day, with relatively unknown journalist Monique Grant getting the call to interview Evelyn for a tell-all in her elderly age. Therein lies the twist of the story not revealed until its final pages, why Evelyn requested this unknown writer to tell her life story in the first place.
The book is divided into seven parts, as one might imagine, her seven husbands each contribute to the larger public narrative of Evelyn’s glamourous life. Secretly, Evelyn is bisexual, and her decades-long on-and-off-again love with fellow actress Celia St. James is as beautiful as it is heart-wrenching. Reid does a wonderful job of exploring the difficulties that arose in queer relationships in the later 20th century as well as an added layer of secrecy when it involved the two most famous women in Hollywood.
While there are seven husbands, a few female lovers, dozens of red-carpet movie premiers and a whole lot of bullshit that Evelyn has to put up with throughout her life, the plot does not feel cramped or too dense. Reid seamlessly intertwines dialogues of racism, sexism and homophobia into the narrative without making it feel forced; these issues are a part of Evelyn’s life. Reid constructed Evelyn’s story in a blunt, funny, shocking and profoundly honest way that makes you wonder if she actually was a real person. Indeed, Evelyn is a composite character, meaning Reid based her on several real-life old Hollywood actresses such as Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardener, Rita Hayworth and Marilyn Monroe.
The novel really hones in on authentic feelings of intimacy and sexuality, wealth, shame and grief. Evelyn’s story is told in three unequal perspectives by herself, Monique as well as tabloid cut-outs peppered in to show an outsider’s view. My favourite husband is undoubtedly number five with whom Evelyn has the longest, most stable and fulfilling marriage. The other marriages are either beards, marketing stunts, romances established on an infatuation that goes wrong, or a mix of all three.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo deserves a 5/5 rating and is one of the best books I’ve read in years. The first few chapters are a little bit slow to get into, but once Evelyn is introduced, the narrative picks up and never stops climbing. Depending on the reader, you may be satisfied or horrified with the ending, I fell somewhere in between. Trust the journey Evelyn takes you on, but don’t trust her.