The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo | Book Review
Book: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Rating: 5/5
Age Rating: 15+
Description:
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo opens with rookie reporter Monique Grant settling into her new life after the sudden end to her engagement, when she is suddenly handed the rare opportunity to interview Hollywood actress Evelyn Hugo. Hugo, a glamorous icon notorious for her mysterious aura, is finally ready to tell the world her truth, and hires Grant to write her biography. Grant is astounded by the offer, knowing she is practically invisible in the world of journalism. Hugo’s story begins in the 1950’s, when she makes the decision to move to Los Angeles as a teenager.
Throughout her career, Hugo experiences trials and tribulations, to say the least - gains and losses of friendships, gambling in the name of love, and a heavy truth that could wreck her career if revealed - oh, and of course, her seven husbands. As a poor, curvy, Cuban, Hugo is continuously objectified and forced to erase her heritage. To be “successful”, Hugo is taught to hide behind her pretty face, pushing away anything and anyone that may jeopardize her reputation. She is forced to choose between her career and her forbidden love, with the additional risk of losing both.
As Hugo reaches the end of her tale, Grant develops a raw connection to the star. However, Hugo carries a tragic secret that she has held tight for years. And before the final bow, Hugo reveals her link to Grant, delivering a message that will shatter the reporter to pieces.
The Review:
Beautifully written, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s poetic style left me craving more with every page. Every sentence, every word was crafted delicately; each fragment, a piece of art. The novel was laced with nostalgia – nostalgia for a time I never knew. Reid’s tale transported me to a world of film, glamour, and Old Hollywood. Yet, in the face of this seemingly-perfect romantic era, Reid did not hesitate to delve into its ugly truth. Hugo is a victim of racism, sexism, homophobia - both internalized and external – and losing oneself in the tantalizing hands of fame. Reid managed to perfectly balance the movement of the story with the discussion of such heavy subjects that need to be normalized in all pieces of literature.
The novel did not contain a single moment that felt slow or dull. The plot was paced in a comprehensive manner, in which it was divided into seven main sections: one for each of Hugo’s husbands. The ending of Hugo’s tale left me clutching my throbbing heart, and rightfully so. I felt empty for the following three days, just aching. I would highly advise against reading this book if you are not one for deep material that will leave you contemplating for days on end.
Final Statements:
Taylor Jenkins Reid, I hope you know that the care and precision that went into fashioning a masterpiece such as The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo did not go unnoticed. Thank you for sharing this treasure with the world.
Read an excerpt from an interview w/ the author: (Zachary Zane from Bi.org)
Often we're told to write about what we know, but you're neither queer nor biracial. Do you think it's your place to tell the story of how these marginalized groups feel when you're white and straight?
Yes, and no. Most importantly, no. We have a problem, in publishing and entertainment, of not centering minority voices. The solution to that problem is to bolster and support minority writers. There is no replacement or substitution for the incredibly important and, quite frankly, exciting work of reading, celebrating, and promoting minority writers.
I naturally read stories of people different than myself but I've made a concerted effort to spend the small power behind my name blurbing minority voices and I will continue to spend whatever platform I have to champion the work of minority voices. This is what the majority should be doing and it is, first and foremost, where our energy needs to be spent.
Work written by people who have lived the story is always going to have a beauty and honesty that cannot be matched by someone writing outside of their own life.
The reason why I wrote this book despite not being queer or biracial is because, due to my work writing about straight white women, I have an audience. I continue to be handed a microphone. I have a book deal. And my feeling was that I could use that book deal, that immense privilege, to continue to write about people like myself or I could use it to write about people that often get pushed to the sidelines.
I chose to center my story on women who are underrepresented. I'm able to do that and still be considered mainstream because of my previous work. Which means I'm able to put a queer story in the mainstream and put it in front of people who might not otherwise read one. I am in a unique position to be able to do that and so I chose to do it.
But then I come back to my original point. It's very hard to parse out, even for me, the line where good intentions can turn into misrepresentation or to a loss of opportunities for people to tell their own stories. I'm very proud of this book but the rest of my energy, for the time being, will be spent in trying to lift up other people to tell their stories themselves.
(Read the full interview here!)
