The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Celia is buried near Harry. Watching her wife being lowered into the ground, Evelyn is overcome and must step away. She finds Harry’s grave, seeking comfort only he could offer. Weeks later, Connor sends Evelyn a magazine clipping of Evelyn crying at Harry’s grave—the press thinks she’s there to mourn her ex-husband. Evelyn is frustrated by how wrong the press has always been. This is the moment she realizes she must tell her truth with a book. 

Evelyn remains married to Robert until his death. They move back to Manhattan, work with charities, and spend time with Connor. After Robert’s death, Connor stays with Evelyn. She urges her to leave, and when she does, Evelyn realizes how very alone she is, so she hires Grace. At 39, Connor is diagnosed with breast cancer. Evelyn spends every moment supporting and caring for her until Connor dies 18 months later. From then on, Evelyn feels “the devastating luxury of panic” (357) always. 

Evelyn’s story ends after the death of everyone she’s ever loved. She only wants Monique to emphasize how meaningful they were and how meaningless everything else was. She wants Monique to argue that Evelyn Hugo never existed, but she now says good-bye.