But back then, at least for me, I didn’t have that equation. The fact that I wanted to be around Ceila all the time, the fact that I cared enough that I valued her happiness over my own, the fact that I liked to think about that moment when she stood in front of me without her shirt on – now, you put those pieces together and you say, one plus one equals I’m in love with a woman. I was taught to like men, and I had found – albeit temporarily – love and lust with a man. Maybe if I’d spent my whole life fighting off feelings for women, then I might have had a template for it. Evelyn’s internalised biphobia, struggle to accept and understand her queerness and fear of being outed is particularly striking. Don’t do that.Īs a straight woman, Taylor Jenkins Reid (TJR) cannot always capture the complexity and first-hand experience of what it means to be queer, but she generally pulls it off well. Don’t ignore half of me so you can fit me into a box, Monique. It provides validation for bisexual readers and the significance of representation – of seeing ourselves reflected in what we read – is huge. Therefore, the power of having an explictly bisexual character with Evelyn saying the words, “I am bisexual” cannot be understated. Despite bisexuals representing over half of the LGBT+ community, its an identity that continues to be misunderstood and erased.

Finding representations of bisexuality can pose even more challenges due to the high levels of bi-erasure both in and out of the queer community and across all mediums. It’s practically impossible to accidentally stumble upon a book with queer characters it’s something that readers usually have to actively look for. Queer representation in books has vastly improved in recent years, but there’s still a long way to go. Evelyn’s character and her identity as a bisexual woman is going to be the focus of this post. Evenlyn has multiple romantic and sexual relationships with men and one serious long-term relationship with Ceila, a lesbian, whom she considers to be the love of her life.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (TSHOEH) has multiple queer characters including the main protagonist and title character, Evelyn Hugo, who is an openly bisexual woman.

You can find a full spoiler-free review of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo here.Ĭontent warning: Discussions of biphobia, homophobia and sexual assault.

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