The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

by Taylor Jenkins Reid

People think that intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth. When you realize you can tell someone your truth, when you can show yourself to them, when you stand in front of them bare and their response is “You’re safe with me”—that’s intimacy.

The popularity of this line really took me by surprise! I see memes of this one more than any other quote from the book. And it makes me incredibly happy to see that this distinction resonates with people. Evelyn is wiser than I am. I’m not sure how that is literally possible. But she knows things I don’t. This was one of them.