No one in their right mind would marry seven times. Evelyn Hugo, however, did. And we learn about them in Taylor Jenkins Reid’s book, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, going through the character’s life. We begin at the viewpoint of Monique Grant, a 35-year-old attempting to make her way up the journalistic career. We learn from the beginning that Grant is best known for her striking article on the rights to die, yet don’t find out why we are given this information until the end of the book, leaving most of the book’s readers to be left in a state of mental instability. With her eagerness for new stories, famous Hollywood actress Evelyn Hugo requests for Monique specifically to write a piece talking about her life. Plot twist? The task for the journalist is not the article pitched by the celebrity herself. Instead, she is given the rights and information about Evelyn’s life, starting before her stardom, discussing her 7 marriages: Ernie Diaz, Don Adler, Mick Riva, Rex North, Harry Cameron, Max Girard and Robert Jamison.
Reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was an easy read for me; the writing style of Taylor Jenkins Reid was incredibly fast paced, yet still allowed me to create connections (whether they be good or bad) for each and every character. Throughout the entirety of the book, ‘TJR’ discusses the LGBT+ community in those times. I find that although it is not the main focus, she truly depicts what it would have been like for those in the 60s who were exploring sexuality. We follow characters as they live their gay life secretly amongst others, watching as their community are wrongfully blamed and tormented for the spread of AIDS. Another thing I loved about the book was Evelyn Hugo, and more importantly, her compassion. Throughout the book, we watch her unafraid to take what she wants in order to reach her desires, whether it be through a name change or marriage – the thing most of her fans cannot stop talking about. With this action and representation, the famous TikTok sound was born: “Doesn’t it bother you? That all anyone can talk about is the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo?” “No, because they are just husbands, I am Evelyn Hugo.”
One thing I must say I don’t enjoy about this book is the second narrative, which is on the account of Monique Grant. Grant is given the role of sharing Evelyn’s story, which is the entire plot of the book – Evelyn talks of her life through the stages of whomever she was married to. While I appreciate the story needed Monique to have a narrative for the end of the story (I’ll keep that out so you can find out yourself). I found that Monique’s purpose is to show the audience that it is important to prioritize your own needs and desires but found her own storyline rather boring and often found her annoying. One of the first things we learn about Monique is that she’s going through a rough divorce after her now ex-husband wanted to move away while she preferred to stay where they are. However, I found it had no importance towards the overall plot.
Overall, I rated the book a five out of five; Taylor Jenkins Reid truly does have a different writing style to anything else I’ve read, and she has quickly become a favourite author of mine. I would highly suggest you read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – just remember to have tissues by your side!
- Rai Mitchell
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