The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a book that only gets good after page 359. It ends well and that saves the book from being a total disappointment. Before page 359, the writing is cluttered. Dialogues are often incoherent and the emotions in the scenes are held back by the words. In climactic moments we find dialogue that makes the characters seem devoid of any interest in their situation. On the contrary, when conveying philosophical themes, the imagery or the metaphors are often weak, making it seem like the author is trying too hard to make a situation look more profound than it is. The mystery and suspense are not nurtured. Aside from that, there are cluttered sentences, unnecessary detours, and misfitting adjectives.
The plot is predictable at times but it still holds some intrigue. The book’s central character, Evelyn Hugo, greatly eclipses the second-most important character Monique, the writer of her biography. Every other character is eclipsed greatly. Characters except Evelyn seem two-dimensional and are not allowed enough room for development.
Nonetheless, the book does greatly improve after page 359. If you skimmed pages before 359 you will definitely need to go back. The plot gets good enough for you to not care about the writing. Monique comes out of Evelyn’s shadow, yet Evelyn flies higher than before. The climaxes pack their rightful punch, and there is nothing slowing down the story. The final message of the book is something you probably saw coming (in fact there is an easter egg on the cover that reveals this message). But it is expressed with grace and power so you overlook the predictability.
If you’re a believer of all’s well if end’s well then you wouldn’t mind reading this book. I didn’t mind reading this book. But was it worth it? Who knows?
I do. It wasn’t.
