The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

“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.”

Evelyn Hugo is one of the most complicated characters I have had the pleasure of reading. To be honest, I did not like her. I did however, respect the decisions that she was forced to make in such a difficult time. It shows the brutality of getting what you want when you do not have it handed to you on a silver platter.

I did find that the book dragged on a bit but I think that's just my own reading preference rather than any fault of the author. I enjoy lots of high stake moments which is hard to accomplish in a contemporary fic. It did however, definitely pick up towards the end especially when the first you know what happened. There was a brief moment when the book was really happy and not going to lie, I did not want to read on and destroy that. Yet, I'm glad I did.

The relationships showcased in this book were as complex as the characters. The only good husbands were Harry and Robert. Harry holds the keys to my heart - there seems to be a theme with my favourite characters and bourbon - he saw the real Evelyn and I'm glad she had someone who did. The other husbands can burn in the fiery pits of hell because they are horrible. That's not to say that Evelyn was not as equally manipulative in some of these relationships. She was a product of her experiences, which doesn't make it okay but I am glad we got to delve deep into why she behaved this way.

Now for the ending. I know this is a very controversial ending but it is the most realistic to me. And to be honest, I do not blame her. If I was in her position, I would have done the same thing. It is the devastating truth when life hands you lemons and tells you to go bake a cake. The book ends with a lot of unresolved feelings but above all it leaves you wanting more, more of Evelyn Hugo, more of the seven husbands, and, of course, more of her wife.