67 pages • 2-hour read
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
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Chapters 41-45Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 41 Summary
Evelyn and Harry’s daughter, Connor, is born and the two spend the first few months enjoying her. Celia does two movies and John goes with her, giving the new parents some time alone with their child. During that time, they fall into the routine of husband and wife, and become closer and more deeply in (platonic) love than ever before. One day, Harry calls Evelyn one of his soulmates and she agrees. When Celia and John return, their routine is slightly unsettled. Celia quickly asserts her role as Evelyn’s partner and the four fall into a new routine—loving their partners and coming together to love Connor. Celia pushes Evelyn to return to acting, urging her to take a role with Max Girard. It’s a bombshell role, which Celia believes Evelyn needs to combat the stigma of motherhood. Evelyn wants that but also realizes that Celia wants “to be with a bombshell” (251). Evelyn calls Max and he is eager to work with her again, but there is one problem: the role is opposite Don Adler.
Chapter 42 Summary
Monique wonders why Evelyn would do a film with her abuser and Evelyn describes the complexity of her emotions for him; she had loved him, hated him, but now pitied him, though had not forgiven him. His career had suffered and she’d heard he began drinking. She decides to meet with her ex before the film.
Chapter 43 Summary
For the first time in 15 years, Evelyn and Don meet at a deli. He apologizes immediately, recognizes the harm he’d done, and swears he’s working on his sobriety and anger. Evelyn does not offer forgiveness but realizes that she no longer fears or hates him.
Chapter 44 Summary
For Harry’s 45th birthday, they all picnic in Central Park. Evelyn remembers it as the last time they were happy as a family.
Chapter 45 Summary
Don and Evelyn shoot a movie about someone with an addiction and the woman who loves him. Max proposes a love scene, hoping to emphasize why Evelyn’s character loves Don’s, and why their connection is so powerful. To do so, he wants them to perform a love scene that shows Evelyn’s character orgasm. It hadn’t been done in American film and would certainly stir controversy. Evelyn loves the idea, remembering how empowered she felt when she realized sex could be pleasurable for her, and hopes to give that to other women. She agrees to do it but knows she should have discussed it with Celia. Instead, Evelyn avoids telling her.
After filming the love scene, Evelyn feels ashamed for having betrayed Celia. She lies by telling Celia that Max just proposed the idea to her, hoping Celia will agree to it. Though Celia understands why the love scene will improve the film and why Evelyn wants to do it, she is not comfortable with Evelyn portraying sex with her ex-husband. Celia is hysterical with guilt; she promises to work on every one of Evelyn’s next roles with her to make up for denying her this. This breaks Evelyn and she admits she’s already done the scene. Evelyn sobs and pleads, but Celia leaves, no longer to live with her “heart half-broken all the time” (267). Weeks later, John receives divorce papers from Celia and Evelyn knows they represent the end of their relationship. She goes to Celia’s LA hotel and begs to be taken back, but Celia is unyielding.
Chapters 41-45 Analysis
Chapter 41 demonstrates the transformative powers of parenthood. Harry and Evelyn see one another as life partners and find something to love more than fame and fortune. Celia’s love, however, though surmounting and passionate, is subject to conditions. This is conveyed through Celia’s (perhaps subconscious) desire to be with Evelyn the Bombshell as much as the real Evelyn. When this revelation does not hurt Evelyn but instead gives her more reason to love Celia, it demonstrates how well-suited they are for one another; they are both morally and emotionally complex women.
The novel refuses a too-neat acknowledgment of abuse that ends with forgiveness in Chapters 42 and 43. Instead, Reid demonstrates the full spectrum of human emotion through Evelyn’s conflicting feelings toward Don. She does this by emphasizing compassion; Evelyn’s compassion for Don does not absolve him of his sins, just as Monique’s compassion toward Evelyn does not ignore her flaws. Don’s ability to take accountability is a best-case scenario that still doesn’t entitle him to absolute forgiveness from Evelyn. When Evelyn refuses him clemency but offers him kindness, the novel demonstrates the many contradictory truths that can exist within a relationship at once.
Chapters 44 and 45 work up the first climactic conflict in the text. Chapter 44 explores The Cost of Fame to demonstrate how far Evelyn is willing to go to succeed. With acting, she is artistically fulfilled, but the desire to see out her vision makes her ignorant of her domestic responsibilities. In choosing to lie to Celia, Evelyn chooses work over Celia—again. Celia’s decision to leave immediately after learning the truth proves that she recognizes this habit in Evelyn. Rather than leaving her for lying—as it would appear on the surface of the text—Celia is leaving Evelyn for her history of not including Celia in her decisions, and her consistently choosing her career over her partner’s needs. Despite this great mistake, Chapter 45 demonstrates Evelyn’s immense growth since their first break up. This time, Evelyn is willing to fight and grovel, proving that she will choose Celia as she offers to give up acting forever. These chapters are a manifestation of the issues that have always been at play within their relationship: societal anti-gay prejudice keeping them from publicly recognizing each other as partners and an inability to express their needs.
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