“People think that intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth. When you realize you can tell someone your truth, when you can show yourself to them, when you stand in front of them bare and their response is 'you're safe with me'- that's intimacy.”
Glamorous, scandalous, and romantic are the three words I would use to describe The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. It was a fun read, enjoyable, but I’m not going to shout it from the rooftops. It won’t be the first book off my lips when someone needs a recommendation.
Flowing between two first person POVs, sometimes even shifting in the middle of a chapter, the plot starts with Monique and the announcement that she, and only she, has been requested to interview the reclusive Evelyn Hugo. Evelyn hasn’t done an interview in the last decade and Vivant wants to be the exclusive story. When Monique arrives she finds out quickly that Evelyn has a completely different plan for their meetings. Evelyn finally wants to tell the story of her life and the seven men that she married. Evelyn floats her narrative in first person POV between Moniques own story.
“I’m under absolutely no obligation to make sense to you.”
Reid does a great job to make the reader feel invested right away. First, with Monique’s decision - will she take the biography, the chance of millions in an unknown time frame, or will she decide to be honest and keep her job at Vivant? I’m down for strong character story lines, but at certain points the story went too far and became more about how Evelyn and Monique could use people, pushing the idea to take what you want. There is always a balance.
“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.”
A diverse read in context, I don’t feel that Reid took it far enough. The story was more scandalous than cutting edge. The repercussions of being gay in the 50’s and 60’s was mentioned but felt glossed over. There was never a moment the two characters had to dig deep. There was no struggling. Their ultimate demise was themselves. And maybe that was the point, the actresses in their glass castles. I just feel it could have done more, been more, instead of feeling surface level.
But that does not mean the reader won’t feel a strong connection to the characters. I spilled a few tears at the end. In a just a few words, Reid was able to paint a beautiful picture. Her characters were vibrant young stars that carried the reader through a made up Hollywood that felt almost real at times. Reid did her research. Down to the movie titles, she built an entire business within her pages. Movie after movie. Oscar after Oscar. Many times I had to question whether this was actually based on fact.
“You do not know how fast you have been running, how hard you have been working, how truly exhausted you are, until someone stands behind you and says, “It’s OK, you can fall down now. I’ll catch you.”
The scenes with the most impact came all from Evelyn’s retelling. Monique didn’t lend much as a character unless you count her as a reason for Evelyn to finally tell her story. Could it just have been told through Evelyn’s eyes directly? I want to say yes. The tension built around Evelyn telling Monique specifically was more annoying than helpful. Reid would add in little one liners of ‘just wait’ so that when the news was finally revealed, it was a let down. The news itself added a weird layer that couldn’t develop in time. Ultimately, Monique broke up the story and I wanted to gloss over all of her scenes.
One positive from reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is that I now feel stronger about my own story. If Reid’s writing can get published… well mine can’t be that bad then. It’s important to read a range of writing so that you can feel more confident. Reading bad work can also teach you what not to do.
All in all, I’m happy for the time spent. I feel content to walk away and let Evelyn sit in my head for a while. I gave the story 3.5 stars out of 5.
Happy Reading
Love Kait
Reading Challenge: 11/100