Matcha & Motifs Book Review 5/5

Aspiring big-shot writer, Monique Grant, gets the story of everyone’s dream. Evelyn Hugo, an acclaimed movie star, wants Monique to do a tell-all. Between the many husbands and failed marriages, everyone is dying to know who was the love of Evelyn Hugo’s life. Taylor Jenkins Reid rivals fame and love through her incredible story of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

!!!Contains Spoilers!!!

Categorized as historical fiction, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is inspired by the 1950s Old Hollywood movie scene. The immersion into another California feels so real that I had to google if Evelyn Hugo was a real person. Even if she is a fictional character, she is very real to me. She is the star of the show.

Evelyn Hugo
The building blocks of Evelyn’s character are relayed so seamlessly, something I felt added to the world and taught us to see Evelyn through the public eye. Jenkins Reid does an incredible job of proposing the idea of ‘how the world sees us versus how we see ourselves’. Utilizing a mixture of news articles, Monique’s perspective, and life through Evelyn’s eyes, we can see all the sides of her. Especially the side that was fabricated for the public. It does feel special to know what’s going on behind the curtains, and this is exactly that and more. A novel of peeking behind the curtains of fame. I like that we begin by knowing what the world “knows”: Evelyn is beautiful and talented, yet she has so many scandals. However, that doesn’t stop everyone from drooling over her the second she steps into a room. With a beginning like this, we can only go up. And up we go.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo rivals many different themes. Fame vs. Privacy, Personal Interest vs. Duty, Rich vs. Poor, someone who has it all and someone who wants it.

I’ve really been enjoying stories where the characters are not clean-cut good or bad. Don’t get me wrong, I love rooting for a noble, righteous underdog. But there is something so comforting and human about the way Evelyn moves. Evelyn is the embodiment of these central themes, she’s all of the shades of gray in between. She traded her virginity for a ride to Hollywood to chase her stardom. She used her body to seize every advantage. She’s willing to make sacrifices for loved ones, even if that means marrying someone in Vegas to get the public distracted. She’s willing to be glamorous and ugly. Cutthroat and kind. She’s smart, manipulative, and frankly, kind of a bitch. But that’s the thing about her, she knows and she doesn’t care. And here I am, completely enamored. I’m invested in her psyche and the inevitable choices she makes. Like I said, she is the star of the show, literally.

Love
At the end of the day, this is a love story and I am a sucker for love stories.
I think the contrast of Cecelia St. James’ character balances out Evelyn’s well. Cecelia is a rival actor turned friend, turned lover. She’s a dreamer and Evelyn is a realist. As I listened to both of their perspectives on why they can and can’t be together, I found myself understanding both sides and not being able to choose who’s “right”. The representation in this novel really did it for me; to hear their heart-wrenching conversations and see so much reflection in our world today made it so relevant and unfortunately, comforting.

Writing
As a writer, I love beautiful writing. Some authors do it with a string of adjectives carefully woven into place. Or a unique metaphor so innovative I’m mad I didn’t come up with it first. And, others write statements in the most simple words that shake you. That’s Jenkins Reid. Her easy-to-understand writing mixed with jaw-dropping statements make it all the better because I’m never expecting it, behold:

”I’m Evelyn.” She reaches out and takes my hand, shaking it. It strikes me as a unique form of power to say your own name when you know that everyone in the room, everyone in the world, already knows it.”

I’m awestruck, and I think that’s the marking of great writing and storytelling. This book was so phenomenal, the pacing was incredible, and the characters were diverse. And not to even mention the plot twist had me gasping out loud. Don’t you love it when you can’t see it coming? I thought about this book for days after I read it. It truly is a marvel.

“Doesn’t it bother you? That your husbands have become such a headline story, so often mentioned, that they have nearly eclipsed your work and yourself? That all anyone talks about when they talk about you are the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo?” And her answer was quintessential Evelyn.
“No,” she told me. “Because they are just husbands. I am Evelyn Hugo. And anyway, I think once people know the truth, they will be much more interested in my wife.”

I can’t help but smile.