A review by kedalrymple
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Did not finish book.
I was very excited to read this book as it seemed to tick a lot of the categories of what I like. Even the start seemed to be more engaging than a lot of books. However, it didn’t take long for the language to start to feel uncomfortable, specifically when discussing race and body image. Unfortunately, it quickly became clear that this is an author who is writing popular fiction with the goal of it being picked up by Hollywood. It seems odd that the author would choose to develop main characters of different races, gender identities, and body types than her own, and do so little work to actually research what it is like for people who identify with those traits. Sadly it came across as stereotypical, heteronormative, and  sexist. Clearly this author is trying to fill her books with the types of characters that Hollywood is desperately seeking to  “include” but is skipping the hard work necessary to check her own priorities and privileges beforehand even attempting to write about a character from a different culture than her own. How disappointing. 

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