Is "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" Worth The Hype?

I’ve seen The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo everywhere from social media to bookstore endcaps to book-related emails promoting buzzworthy reads. Although I don’t seek out historical fiction, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel intrigued me. Along with the high ratings, the premise of an enigmatic movie star reminded me of one of my favorite novels, The Life and Death of Sophie Stark, featuring a troubled filmmaker, so I hoped Evelyn Hugo would be similarly enjoyable.

Aging Hollywood movie star Evelyn Hugo chooses an unknown reporter, Monique Grant, for the job of writing her biography. Although Monique questions why the famous actress has picked her, it’s an opportunity she can’t refuse. Evelyn tells her story of her illustrious career and seven marriages dating from 1950s Los Angeles to the 1980s when she stepped away from the spotlight. The more Monique hears, the more she discovers her personal connection to Evelyn.

“When you’re given an opportunity to change your life, be ready to do whatever it takes to make it happen. The world doesn’t give things, you take things.” — Taylor Jenkins Reid, “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”

I can see why The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo has high ratings because I had trouble putting this book down. The premise and structure make for a compelling read where I wanted to know more about Evelyn and her connection to Monique. It also helps that Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing is compulsively readable. It’s simple, minimal on description, and heavy on dialogue, making it a page-turner.

It was interesting to read a novel which covered almost an entire lifetime. While it means more telling than showing, it works because most of the narrative is told by Evelyn in first person. In addition, the Hollywood gossip magazine excerpts help move the story several months of years ahead via summary.

Although I don’t usually enjoy reading about rich and famous characters, Evelyn Hugo is a fascinating person. A daughter of Cuban immigrants, she rose from poverty to fame by leveraging her physical appearance, sexuality, and charisma. As we see from the beginning, she’s not a hero or a villain. She’s morally ambiguous, most notably in her pursuit of her goals which might mean hurting others even if it’s to protect her loved ones.

“It’s always been fascinating to me how things can be simultaneously true and false, how people can be good and bad all in one, how someone can love you in a way that is beautifully selfless while serving themselves ruthlessly.” — Taylor Jenkins Reid, “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”

In contrast, Monique was nowhere near as fleshed out as Reid’s titular character. Even though the book stars with her perspective, her sections felt like an afterthought with the purpose of being a frame for Evelyn’s story. While the mystery behind her connection to Evelyn kept my interest, the reveal didn’t hit me emotionally as it should given my lack of connection to Monique — even if it made sense for Evelyn.

As for the other characters (other than Harry), they didn’t feel as developed. While not two-dimensional, they — in particular, certain husbands — lacked Evelyn’s nuance.

As for the romance, it was refreshing to see the primary relationship involving LGBTQ+ characters. Setting the story in the 50s to 80s showed how difficult it was to be queer back then, though it also holds a mirror to the present to show how some things haven’t changed in terms of prejudice and discrimination.

As for representation in terms of race, Reid didn’t explore Evelyn’s racial and ethnic identity enough. After Evelyn changes her name and dyes her hair blonde, she’s treated like another white person. Therefore, I wonder if it’d be helpful to name white-passing privilege. And when she later speaks Spanish again, I questioned Evelyn’s feelings about the language — for instance, if she lost some of her speaking abilities.

After reading more about the book online, I wasn’t surprised to Reid is a white and straight writer. While I don’t believe in gatekeeping stories for writers (especially when fiction is about empathy), someone with those lived experiences would be more likely to shed light on those nuances like internalized oppression regarding race, language, sexuality, and so on. Hopefully, Reid could improve with more research in her future books.

As a whole, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was a fun read. While it isn’t a perfect book, I can see how it garnered hype with its simple prose, propulsive storytelling, and queer romance. If you care to keep up with popular books or want a light read, Evelyn Hugo is worth checking out.

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Originally published on Medium