Chapter 54: PhotoMoment – August 14, 1967
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
This chapter is presented as a PhotoMoment magazine article from August 14, 1967, reporting on Evelyn Hugo’s wedding to producer Harry Cameron. The ceremony took place on the beaches of Capri. Evelyn wore an off-white silk gown with her long blond hair down and center-parted. Harry wore a cream linen suit. Celia St. James served as maid of honor, and her husband John Braverman was best man. The article notes that Harry and Evelyn had worked together since the 1950s and were caught having an affair late the previous year while Evelyn was still married to Rex North. Rex has since married Joy Nathan and they have a daughter, Violet. The piece closes with a cheeky remark about it being “about time” the couple made it official after a long engagement.
Key Events
- Evelyn Hugo marries Harry Cameron on the beaches of Capri in August 1967.
- The wedding is covered by PhotoMoment, a gossip magazine.
- Celia St. James attends as maid of honor; John Braverman is best man.
- The article references the affair that became public while Evelyn was still married to Rex North.
- Rex North is now remarried to Joy Nathan and has a daughter named Violet.
Character Development
- Evelyn Hugo: The chapter shows Evelyn embracing yet another public marriage, reinforcing her pattern of using high-profile relationships to navigate her career and personal life.
- Harry Cameron: Harry is portrayed as a “better-dressed Hollywood player,” now Evelyn’s fifth husband. The article treats the marriage as long overdue.
- Celia St. James: Serving as maid of honor places Celia at the center of Evelyn’s personal milestone, deepening their complicated bond.
- Rex North: His swift remarriage and fatherhood are mentioned only as counterpoint to Evelyn’s new union.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Marriage as public spectacle: The entire chapter is a magazine spread, emphasizing that Evelyn’s weddings are media events consumed by the public.
- The performance of love: Evelyn and Harry’s relationship began as an affair and is now legitimized, but the magazine’s tone treats it as entertainment.
- Contrast of public and private truth: The cheerful gossip article hides the emotional complexity beneath Evelyn’s repeated marriages.
- Time and reputation: The phrase “it’s about time” suggests a pressure to conform to expectations of marriage, even after scandal.
Why This Chapter Matters
- This chapter marks Evelyn’s fifth marriage, continuing the book’s structure of using each husband as a chapter marker.
- It reinforces the narrative device of the “PhotoMoment” interludes, which offer an outside, often trivializing, perspective on Evelyn’s life.
- The inclusion of Celia as maid of honor deepens the irony: the woman Evelyn truly loves is publicly celebrating another marriage.
- It shows how quickly Hollywood moves on from scandal (Rex remarried, Evelyn married Harry).
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why do you think Taylor Jenkins Reid chose to present this chapter as a gossip magazine article rather than a traditional narrative scene?
Answer: The magazine format gives readers an external, media-driven view of Evelyn’s wedding, contrasting with the intimate, confessional tone of the rest of her story. It highlights how the public consumes her marriages as entertainment, stripping away the emotional cost.
2. How does Celia St. James’ role as maid of honor affect your understanding of her relationship with Evelyn at this point?
Answer: Celia’s presence at the wedding underscores the painful paradox of their relationship: she must publicly support Evelyn’s marriage to a man while privately being her true partner. It shows the lengths both women go to protect their secret.
3. What does the magazine’s tone reveal about society’s attitude toward celebrity marriages in the 1960s?
Answer: The light, almost glib tone suggests that celebrity marriages were treated as public entertainment, with little regard for the individuals’ emotions. The phrase “fifth time’s a charm” makes marriage seem disposable, a narrative reinforced by the media.