The Husbands by Holly Gramazio Summary, Characters and Themes
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio is a novel that blends magical realism and dark comedy to explore love, relationships, and self-discovery. It follows Lauren, a thirty-something woman in London, whose life is turned upside down when strange men, claiming to be her husbands, start appearing in her flat via a magical attic.
As she cycles through these seemingly perfect partners, Lauren faces the complexities of desire, rejection, and what it truly means to find “the one.” With wit and insight, Gramazio crafts a whimsical, thought-provoking story about the search for happiness and the absurdities of romantic expectations.
Summary
Lauren, a single woman living in London, returns home one evening from her best friend’s bachelorette party to find a stranger named Michael in her apartment. Baffled and scared, she panics, but Michael insists they are married, pointing to her wedding ring and photos on her phone as proof.
Despite her confusion, Lauren reluctantly allows Michael to stay the night, thinking it’s all a misunderstanding fueled by alcohol.
The next morning, Michael is still there, and Lauren realizes something bizarre is happening. As she tries to figure out how she ended up with a husband she doesn’t remember, Michael ascends the attic ladder to fix a light.
Instead of coming back down, another man descends in his place. To her shock, Lauren discovers that her attic is now magically delivering her husbands: every time one goes into the attic, a new spouse appears to replace him.
Though each husband is unfamiliar to Lauren, her phone contains convincing evidence of their marriage, and her surroundings change subtly with each new arrival.
Lauren soon starts swapping out husbands with ease, sending them into the attic whenever she finds them irritating or unsuitable. She finally chooses Jason, a gardener who seems nice enough, but his chewing habits eventually make her reconsider.
After a series of failed replacements, she opts for Carter, an American who is charming enough to take to her friend Elena’s wedding.
Over time, she begins to develop real feelings for him, but their relationship is cut short when he inadvertently enters the attic and is replaced by yet another husband.
Lauren’s frustration grows as she fails to find the perfect match, rejecting man after man. Eventually, she finds herself stuck with Felix, a wealthy executive with questionable morals.
She spends time enjoying the luxurious lifestyle his life offers—complete with a mansion and pool—but her dissatisfaction soon resurfaces. After a confrontation over his shady business practices, she gets rid of him too.
One day, a husband named Bohai reveals that he’s also part of this strange husband-swapping world, experiencing the same phenomenon but from the opposite side.
They form a bond over their shared predicament, deciding to live together temporarily before Bohai inevitably disappears up the attic ladder. Their companionship gives Lauren a sense of peace, but when Bohai leaves, she resumes her cycle of new husbands.
Lauren’s desire for Carter never fully fades, and she becomes fixated on tracking his life in America. She even flies to Colorado to reconnect, but her plan backfires when Carter bluntly rejects her advances.
Disillusioned, Lauren returns to London and attempts to sever ties with her ex-husband Amos by sending him up to the attic.
After a disastrous encounter with her next husband Zach, who injures himself in a fall from the attic, Lauren finally reaches her breaking point. In a last act of defiance, she sets fire to the attic, determined to break free from its magical hold.
The novel concludes with her new husband, Sam, relieved that they survived the ordeal, as Lauren reflects on whether she truly wants to continue this exhausting cycle.
Characters
Lauren
Lauren is the protagonist of the novel and is presented as a single woman in her thirties who is abruptly thrown into a surreal situation. Initially, she is portrayed as an independent and pragmatic character, grounded in her life as a single woman in London.
Lauren’s reaction to finding a strange man in her apartment is panic and disbelief. However, as the narrative unfolds, her curiosity and growing willingness to accept the magical occurrences reveal her underlying adaptability and a deep-seated desire for control in her personal life.
Her character evolves as she cycles through various husbands, moving from bewilderment to a sense of power over the strange situation. Each husband she receives represents an opportunity for her to find her “perfect” partner, yet Lauren’s increasing impatience and dissatisfaction reflect her deeper insecurities and fears of commitment.
Her fixation on Carter, the one husband she feels a true connection with, symbolizes her longing for stability and emotional fulfillment. However, her obsession with tracking him after their time together points to her struggles with letting go of the past.
Despite the revolving door of husbands, Lauren fails to establish a meaningful connection. She gradually becomes disillusioned with the process. Her rejection of each man for superficial reasons highlights her growing emotional exhaustion and inability to tolerate imperfection.
By the novel’s end, Lauren has developed into a complex, jaded figure, torn between her desire for companionship and her difficulty with sustaining it. Her final decision to destroy the attic and abandon the husband cycle indicates a profound shift in her mindset, as she chooses to step away from the magical forces dictating her life and take control of her own fate.
Michael
Michael is the first husband Lauren encounters, and he represents the beginning of her bewildering journey into this magical world. Calm, practical, and caring, Michael tries to ease Lauren’s initial panic, attempting to convince her that their marriage is real.
His patience and logical approach suggest that he genuinely wants to make their relationship work. This makes his character a symbol of stability and security.
However, Michael is ultimately not the husband Lauren chooses to keep. His normalcy and reliability are not enough to hold her interest, and his fate is sealed when he ascends to the attic.
Michael serves as the catalyst for Lauren’s realization of the strange rules governing her life. His character is representative of how Lauren initially rejects stability in favor of something more exciting or ideal.
Jason
Jason, the gardener, is one of the husbands with whom Lauren feels a closer connection. Partly, this is due to her family’s approval of him.
His character is grounded and simple, embodying a more traditional idea of domestic partnership. Jason is the first husband Lauren considers bringing to her friend Elena’s wedding, suggesting that she sees him as a suitable, respectable choice.
However, his open-mouth chewing—a seemingly trivial habit—ultimately leads to his rejection. Jason’s later reappearance as a gardener in Lauren’s altered life reveals that the husbands continue to live parallel lives after their time with her.
Lauren’s decision to reject him, despite his compatibility with her family, points to her difficulty in embracing simplicity or accepting the imperfections of others.
Carter
Carter is the husband with whom Lauren forms the strongest emotional connection. He is charismatic, intelligent, and appears to be the closest match to Lauren’s ideal partner.
The fact that she feels a genuine romantic spark with Carter, unlike the other husbands, suggests that he represents the kind of deep emotional bond Lauren craves. She envisions him as the perfect companion to bring to Elena’s wedding, and their shared experiences during this time further cement her attachment to him.
However, Carter’s accidental trip to the attic abruptly ends their relationship, symbolizing the fleeting nature of her connections in this magical world. Lauren’s inability to move on from Carter after he is replaced reveals her obsessive tendencies and her fear of losing someone she truly cares about.
Her fixation on tracking his life post-rejection, even to the point of visiting him in Colorado, highlights her emotional vulnerability and her inability to let go of past relationships. Carter’s firm rejection of her during this encounter signifies the end of Lauren’s fantasy of rekindling their relationship and serves as a pivotal moment in her character’s arc. It forces her to confront the reality of her situation.
Felix
Felix is a wealthy CFO who provides Lauren with a life of luxury, living in a large mansion far removed from her modest flat. His character is emblematic of material success and the superficial trappings of a high-status life.
However, Felix’s cold, formal demeanor contrasts sharply with the comfort and extravagance of his lifestyle. Lauren’s decision to remain with him for a while reflects her desire to escape the relentless cycle of new husbands and treat her life as a temporary vacation from reality.
Despite the allure of Felix’s wealth, Lauren ultimately rejects him when she discovers his unethical business practices. Felix represents the emptiness of a life built solely on material wealth.
Lauren’s decision to send him back to the attic signals her rejection of a life that lacks emotional connection or moral integrity.
Bohai
Bohai is a unique character in that he shares Lauren’s experience of being trapped in the magical husband cycle. Unlike the other husbands, Bohai reveals that he has lived through this phenomenon for centuries, having had hundreds of spouses.
His character provides Lauren with a sense of camaraderie and understanding that she has not found with anyone else, as they are both trapped in a system beyond their control. Bohai represents the acceptance of the bizarre circumstances in which they live, offering Lauren a temporary sense of peace and stability.
Their relationship is platonic but meaningful, as they share stories of their respective experiences and provide emotional support for one another. Bohai’s departure at the end of the year marks the end of Lauren’s brief respite from the husband cycle, leaving her once again alone to face the uncertainties of her future.
His character serves as a reminder that even those who understand and empathize with our struggles may not be permanent fixtures in our lives.
Amos
Amos, Lauren’s real-life ex, is the final husband she receives from the attic, and his appearance serves as a reflection of her past. Their relationship is already in the process of dissolution when he appears, symbolizing Lauren’s unresolved issues with her previous relationships.
Unlike the other husbands, Amos is someone from Lauren’s actual life, which complicates her usual process of rejection. Instead of sending him back to the attic immediately, she uses their ongoing divorce as an excuse to keep him around, giving herself a temporary break from the cycle.
Amos’s presence forces Lauren to confront the emotional baggage of her past relationships and her struggles with intimacy. His eventual return to the attic allows Lauren to finally close the chapter on their relationship, but it also represents her reluctance to face the reality of forming genuine connections outside of the magical husband cycle.
Zach
Zach, the husband who injures himself after falling from the attic ladder, represents the physical toll that the constant shifting of husbands takes on Lauren’s life. His extended stay due to his injury forces Lauren to deal with the consequences of her actions in a more direct and long-term way, as she is unable to swiftly reject him like the others.
Zach’s fear of the attic after his fall also symbolizes the emotional trauma that comes with constant change and instability in relationships. Lauren’s eventual decision to threaten Zach with Felix’s son’s air gun to get him to leave highlights her increasing desperation to regain control over her life and return to her pattern of rejecting husbands.
Zach’s character illustrates the physical and emotional exhaustion Lauren experiences as she continues to navigate the bizarre world of the attic.
Sam
Sam is the final husband introduced in the novel and represents the culmination of Lauren’s journey. By the time he appears, Lauren is mentally and emotionally drained from the process of switching husbands.
Instead of engaging with Sam directly, she orchestrates the destruction of the attic, signaling her decision to break free from the magical cycle once and for all. Sam’s perspective in the final chapter reveals his relief and contentment in being with Lauren despite the chaos, providing a sense of closure to the novel’s central conflict.
Sam’s character signifies a potential fresh start for Lauren. His acceptance of their precarious situation suggests that there may still be hope for a genuine connection in the future.
Themes
The Search for Identity and Personal Authenticity in a Fluid Reality
One of the central themes in The Husbands is Lauren’s journey through an ever-changing, magically manipulated reality, which forces her to continually question her own identity. The men descending from her attic serve as a metaphor for her internal struggle with self-perception, societal expectations, and the search for a genuine sense of self in a world where everything—including her relationships, home, and possessions—can be altered at a moment’s notice.
Each new husband represents an alternate reality, each shifting her life in small or profound ways. This makes Lauren question who she truly is beyond these transient circumstances.
Her desire to control and customize her life, and to find the perfect partner, reflects a deeper yearning for personal agency in an environment where her identity is continuously challenged by external, magical forces. Ultimately, Lauren’s experiences with the endless cycle of husbands highlight the tension between self-determination and the fluidity of identity when one’s reality is constantly shifting.
The Allure of Perfection and the Tyranny of Choice in Modern Relationships
A more nuanced exploration of Lauren’s quest for the “perfect husband” reveals a critique of modern romantic ideals and the overwhelming nature of infinite choice. The novel uses magical realism to underscore how Lauren’s ability to swap husbands at will mirrors the modern dating landscape, where apps and digital platforms create a near-endless supply of potential partners.
While this array of options initially feels empowering, it quickly devolves into a paralyzing and alienating experience. Lauren’s dissatisfaction with even minor imperfections in her husbands symbolizes the often unrealistic standards we set for relationships in a culture of instant gratification.
Her constant rejection of men for superficial reasons—such as Jason’s chewing habits or Carter’s eventual disinterest—represents the way in which modern relationships are often evaluated based on superficial or ephemeral qualities. This prevents her from forming deep, meaningful connections.
The constant presence of “the next option” traps Lauren in a cycle of rejection. This highlights how too much choice can lead to indecision, dissatisfaction, and an inability to commit, thus perpetuating the very loneliness she seeks to escape.
The Intersection of Magical Realism and the Emotional Labor of Romantic Relationships
The magical realism in The Husbands reflects the emotional complexity and labor involved in romantic relationships, presenting it in an exaggerated, fantastical form to underscore its often overwhelming nature. The magically provided husbands, who each bring with them new lives, personalities, and circumstances, reflect the emotional and mental work that accompanies relationship-building.
The ease with which Lauren can send husbands to the attic when dissatisfied presents an exaggerated solution to the challenge of dealing with incompatibility. This highlights the emotional exhaustion inherent in maintaining relationships.
The attic serves as a physical manifestation of Lauren’s emotional burden. Its strange electrical behavior and eventual destruction signify the internal toll these endless exchanges take on her psyche.
Lauren’s struggle to sustain genuine emotional connections, as seen in her fleeting attachment to Carter and her forced cohabitation with Bohai, reflects the exhausting cycle of giving and receiving emotional energy in romantic relationships. In this light, the novel critiques the modern impulse to expect ease and convenience in romance without the necessary emotional labor that true intimacy demands.
The Commodification of Domesticity and the Anxiety of Conforming to Societal Expectations
Another key theme in The Husbands is the commodification of domestic life and how it intertwines with societal expectations for women, particularly in the realms of marriage and home-making. Lauren’s magical ability to swap husbands and homes like disposable commodities points to the ways in which marriage and domesticity have been commodified in contemporary culture.
Each new husband not only changes Lauren’s relationship status but also alters the physical environment of her home. This underscores how domestic spaces are often perceived as extensions of one’s romantic and social identity.
The husbands, with their varying careers, lifestyles, and social circles, reshape Lauren’s life in superficial ways. This reflects the societal pressure to conform to certain ideals of success, stability, and happiness through marriage.
Felix, the wealthy CFO, epitomizes this notion of marriage as a status symbol, with his luxurious mansion and opulent lifestyle representing the social capital often associated with romantic partnerships. Yet, Lauren’s dissatisfaction with each new life reflects the hollowness of trying to derive personal fulfillment solely from conforming to these external expectations.
The repeated cycle of marriage, domesticity, and eventual rejection reflects the anxiety of trying to meet societal standards while maintaining a sense of individuality and personal satisfaction.
The Impossibility of Escaping Past Relationships and the Persistence of Emotional Haunting
The novel also delves into the theme of emotional haunting, the inescapable influence of past relationships on one’s present and future. Lauren’s obsession with Carter, even after he has moved on and built a life separate from her, symbolizes the lingering emotional attachments that can continue to shape a person’s life long after a relationship has ended.
Her tracking of Carter’s life from afar and eventual confrontation in Denver reflect the difficulty of letting go of idealized pasts and the emotional damage caused by clinging to unresolved feelings. This theme is further emphasized in Lauren’s reunion with her ex, Amos, when he appears as one of her husbands.
Although their marriage is depicted as being in the midst of a divorce, Amos’s presence symbolizes the way past relationships continue to intrude on Lauren’s present, often surfacing when least expected. By portraying Amos as both a literal and metaphorical figure of unresolved emotional baggage, the novel suggests that past relationships—no matter how we attempt to sever them—remain as spectral presences, influencing future romantic choices.
Lauren’s inability to move on from Carter despite the endless rotation of new husbands highlights the persistence of emotional attachments and the difficulty of starting anew when unresolved relationships continue to exert their influence on one’s emotional life.
The Paradox of Freedom and Entrapment in the Pursuit of an Ideal Life
The interplay between freedom and entrapment is a complex theme in The Husbands. Lauren’s magical situation offers her unparalleled freedom to curate her life exactly as she pleases. However, this very freedom leads to a profound sense of entrapment.
On the surface, the ability to switch husbands and lives appears to be a form of ultimate empowerment, allowing Lauren to pursue her ideal version of happiness. However, the novel reveals that this freedom quickly becomes a trap, as Lauren finds herself increasingly exhausted and disillusioned by the process of endless rejection and reinvention.
The magical husbands—symbols of seemingly limitless opportunity—ironically become the very source of Lauren’s entrapment. Each new husband brings with him a new set of challenges, responsibilities, and emotional baggage.
The novel explores the paradox of how too much freedom can, paradoxically, lead to a sense of confinement. The pursuit of the perfect life becomes an endless, unattainable goal.
In this sense, Lauren’s journey reflects the broader human struggle between the desire for autonomy and the emotional costs of constantly striving for an ideal that remains just out of reach.