Chapter 97: Evelyn and Me - Summary and Analysis
⚠️ 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
The chapter is presented as a magazine article by Monique Grant, published in June 2017 after Evelyn Hugo's death. Grant explains that she spent the final weeks of Evelyn's life helping to write Evelyn's memoirs. She describes Evelyn as a complex person—admirable yet deceitful—and suggests that Evelyn would be satisfied with that mixed judgment, because she valued truth above adoration or scandal.
The core revelation is that Evelyn Hugo was bisexual and spent most of her life deeply in love with Celia St. James. Evelyn wanted the public to know this for several reasons: loving Celia was the greatest political act of her life; she felt a responsibility to the LGBTQ+ community to be visible; and above all, her relationship with Celia was the most honest and essential part of her identity. Grant states that at the end of her life, Evelyn was finally ready to be real.
The article includes an excerpt from Grant's forthcoming biography, titled The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Grant explains that she once asked Evelyn if she was embarrassed by the focus on her many marriages. Evelyn replied that they are "just husbands"—she is Evelyn Hugo—and that once people know the truth, they will be far more interested in her wife.
Key Events
- Monique Grant publishes a posthumous article about her time with Evelyn.
- Grant reveals that Evelyn was bisexual and that Celia St. James was the love of her life.
- The origin of the biography's title is explained: Evelyn's dismissal of her husbands as secondary to her true relationship.
- An excerpt from the biography is introduced, promising to show the real Evelyn.
Character Development
- Evelyn Hugo: Now deceased, she is shown as finally willing to shed her public persona and embrace her authentic self. Her decision to reveal her bisexuality is framed as both a personal and political act.
- Monique Grant: The journalist wrestles with conflicting feelings—admiration and distrust. Her understanding of Evelyn deepens, and she positions herself as the keeper of Evelyn's true story.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Truth vs. Public Image: The chapter contrasts the constructed image Evelyn maintained for decades with the real identity she hid. Her final wish is to be remembered truthfully.
- Love as Political Act: Evelyn describes her love for Celia as "perhaps her greatest political act," linking personal desire to social change.
- Visibility and Responsibility: Evelyn acknowledges her duty to the LGBTQ+ community to be seen, a theme of coming out and representation.
- Legacy: The choice of biography title—The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo—emphasizes that her marriages were a distraction, while her love for a woman is her true legacy.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is the narrative payoff of the entire novel. It finally answers the question that has driven the story: why did Evelyn choose Monique to write her biography? And it reveals the secret Evelyn has guarded for decades. The chapter reframes all previous events, showing that Evelyn's seven marriages were a camouflage for her most important relationship. It also establishes the frame for the biography that we, as readers, have been reading.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Evelyn want the public to know the truth about her relationship with Celia St. James?
Evelyn wants the truth because she believes loving Celia was the most political act of her life. She also feels a responsibility to the LGBTQ+ community to be visible, and above all, the relationship was the core of her identity—at the end of her life, she was finally ready to be real.
2. What is the significance of the title The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo?
The title comes from a conversation between Monique and Evelyn. Evelyn dismisses her husbands as merely "just husbands," not the defining part of her story. She predicts that once people learn the truth, they will be far more interested in "my wife"—Celia St. James. The title is thus ironic, pointing to the true love story beneath the marriages.
3. How does Monique Grant's view of Evelyn evolve in this chapter?
Monique acknowledges that she wrestles with contradictory feelings: some days she admires Evelyn more than anyone, other days she thinks of her as a liar and a cheat. By the end, she accepts that Evelyn was complex and that the truth—however mixed—is what Evelyn wanted to leave behind. Monique's role shifts from interviewer to interpreter of Evelyn's legacy.