Why you need to read ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’

'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo', by Taylor Jenkins Reid — ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

(AN UNFORGETTABLE BISEXUAL ICON first published on Medium publication Coffee Time Reviews. You can read the full review here)

Who is Evelyn Hugo, you ask?
Why, only the greatest star the world has ever seen!

My thoughts on ‘The Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo’

But seriously, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is an unforgettable read with an equally unforgettable bisexual heroine, the likes of whom we haven’t seen much in the contemporary bookish sphere. It is a book that left an imprint on me. For the longest time, we women have been told to be kind and demure, and polite, even as we try to make our way towards the pinnacle. And Evelyn tell us,

My mother raised me to be polite, to be demure. I have long operated under the idea that civility is subservience. But it hasn’t gotten me very far, that type of kindness. The world respects people who think they should be running it.
From ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This is where the book breaks all expectations. We get to see a flawed, ruthless, selfish, kind, ambitious, sexual woman who knows what she wants and is willing to work her ass off for it. Evelyn Hugo is a woman who we can admire and at the same time, also dislike.

LGBTQ representation in ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’

But the reason why I am telling you about it today is that it is the first book I have come across that places a bisexual character on the forefront. For the longest time, sexuality has been considered a binary — you are either a heterosexual or a homosexual. But I ask, what about the Pansexuals? The Asexuals? The Bisexuals? And mind you, there are a number of sexualities across the spectrum today.

I’m bisexual. Don’t ignore half of me so you can fit me into a box.
From ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The representation is actually on point — you have a bisexual icon, there are some amazing secondary characters who are also homosexuals; and there are people of color (biracial, Latinx, black). All of them are well-formed and it is such a delight reading about them. So during this year’s Pride Month, if you are still unsure of which book to pick up, pick up this one. It will remain with you forever.

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