The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (2017) is a work of historical fiction by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The novel follows Monique, a journalist struggling to make a name for herself until she receives an offer to interview the mysterious and reclusive 1960s Hollywood starlet, Evelyn Hugo, about fame, scandal, and love. The novel is a study of human nature that explores The Cost of Fame, The Oversexualization and Commodification of Women’s Bodies, and the difficulty of Reconciling with One’s True Self. The novel was nominated for the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Historical Fiction.

Content Warning: This novel discusses anti-gay prejudice, racism, domestic abuse, miscarriage, and suicide. The guide reproduces anti-gay slurs in quotation only.

Plot Summary

Monique Grant is a struggling junior reporter at Vivant magazine when iconic star Evelyn Hugo requests her to conduct Evelyn’s first interview in decades. Monique arrives only to learn that Evelyn has something else in mind: a tell-all in which she will speak on her seven high-profile marriages. Realizing that this is a career-defining opportunity, Monique accepts her role as biographer, despite her suspicions about Evelyn’s motivations.

Evelyn describes her humble beginnings in Hell’s Kitchen, her desperation to escape a life of poverty and abuse, and her willingness to use her sexuality to do so: At only 14, Evelyn married a man who would take her to Hollywood, only to divorce him when she was discovered by producer Harry Cameron. Then Evelyn Herrera, she dyed her hair blonde, lost her Cuban accent, and changed her name to succeed. Evelyn rose to fame with the support of Harry, and the world became enamored by her beauty. She soon married Don Adler, the most popular actor in Hollywood.

Monique’s life is a stark contrast to Evelyn’s; having recently separated from her husband, David, she is struggling professionally and personally. Her editor and boss, Frankie, doubts her ability to pull off a successful story, and Monique fears that Frankie is right. However, Monique becomes more confident as she works with Evelyn, eventually demanding a promotion from her boss. As Evelyn continues her tale, Monique uses it as a welcome distraction from David, who is desperately trying to reach her.

Evelyn reveals that Don abused Evelyn soon after they wed. While filming Little Women, Evelyn befriended rising star Celia St James. During the premiere of their movie, Evelyn learned that Celia was a lesbian and acknowledged her feelings for her. That night, Evelyn left Don for Celia.

Evelyn overcame Don’s attempts to ruin her career, but if she wanted to remain in Hollywood, she had to conceal her relationship with Celia. Evelyn and Celia were happy together, but Celia grew to resent Evelyn’s unwillingness to embrace her publicly. When Evelyn orchestrated a sham marriage with Mick Rivera to hide her relationship with Celia, Celia left and eventually married professional football quarterback John Braverman. Over the next few years, Evelyn had a few fake marriages. The second one was to Harry, her longtime friend and producer. Harry was gay and in love with Celia’s husband, John. Evelyn and Celia reconciled and the four of them lived together in New York blissfully for decades and raised Harry and Evelyn’s daughter, Connor.

When Evelyn betrayed Celia’s trust once again, Celia left for the second time. Heartbroken, Evelyn married her director, Max Girard, to forget Celia, but she failed: She eventually left Max to return to Celia. Before they could start their life together, Harry and his lover were both killed while Harry was driving drunk. Evelyn was the first to find them and placed the lover in the driver’s seat to protect Harry’s reputation. At the end of the interview, Evelyn reveals that this man was Monique’s father, embittering Monique against her forever.

Evelyn spent the rest of Celia’s life with her in Spain. After Celia died, Evelyn returned to New York to be with Connor, but Connor died of breast cancer soon after. Realizing that everyone she has ever loved is gone, Evelyn is now dedicating her life to truth, no matter how damaging it might be. When Monique leaves, Evelyn dies by suicide rather than suffering through treatment for her advanced cancer.