Anita de Monte Laughs Last
Reese's Book Club Pick (A Novel)
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ISBN10: 1250786215
ISBN13: 9781250786210
Hardcover
352 Pages
$28.99
CA$38.99
1985. Anita de Monte, a rising star in the art world, is found dead in New York City; her tragic death is the talk of the town. Until it isn’t. By 1998 Anita’s name has been all but forgotten—certainly by the time Raquel, a third-year art history student is preparing her final thesis. On College Hill, surrounded by privileged students whose futures are already paved out for them, Raquel feels like an outsider. Students of color, like her, are the minority there, and the pressure to work twice as hard for the same opportunities is no secret.
But when Raquel becomes romantically involved with a well-connected older art student, she finds herself unexpectedly rising up the social ranks. As she attempts to straddle both worlds, she stumbles upon Anita’s story, raising questions about the dynamics of her own relationship, which eerily mirrors that of the forgotten artist.
Moving back and forth through time and told from the perspectives of both women, Anita de Monte Laughs Last is a propulsive, witty examination of power, love, and art, daring to ask who gets to be remembered and who is left behind in the rarefied world of the elite.
Reviews
Praise for Anita de Monte Laughs Last
"This rollicking page-turner from the bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming includes of-the-moment commentary about who succeeds and why."—Real Simple
"Gonzalez has that particular penchant for navigating perspectives in a voice that’s at once delightfully humorous and sobering."—Elle
"Gonzalez’s newest novel is a dynamic exploration of love, art, and power."—LitHub
"A new captivating novel that explores othering, erasure, power, and legacy through the lens of two women of color navigating the art scene years apart."—TODAY.com
"Funny, piercing, and full of moxie, Anita de Monte Laughs Last is unsparing in its assessment of what goes on behind the castle walls, the price people pay to be accepted into those hallowed halls, and what it takes to liberate oneself from the dangers that lurk within. Really, what Xochitl Gonzalez has written is an affirmation for anyone who's ever had to 'work twice as hard to get half as much.' Anita de Monte Laughs Last is rollicking, melodic, tender, and true. And oh so very wise."—Robert Jones, Jr., author of The Prophets, a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction
"Bravo! A remarkable story about reclaiming what has been erased. Reader, enjoy!”—Ana Castillo, author of So Far From God
"An uncompromising message, delivered via a gripping story with two engaging heroines."—Kirkus (starred review)
"Part campus novel, part ghost story, Xochitl Gonzalez’s second novel fearlessly takes on racism and misogyny in the rarefied world of fine art and art history. . . Anita de Monte Laughs Last boldly questions the choices behind what we are taught and demands that the complete story be disclosed."—BookPage (starred review)
"Gonzalez’s sophomore outing deserves a mouse on her doorstep in gratitude . . . This is a brutal but ultimately heartwarming and certainly thought-provoking novel of Latinx magic, family, and feminine power."—Booklist (starred review)
"Gonzalez crafts excoriating and whip-smart commentary on the art world’s Eurocentric conceptions of beauty and the racism faced by first-generation students of color. This is incandescent."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Reviews from Goodreads
BOOK EXCERPTS
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Anita
NEW YORK CITY • FALL 1985
If it weren’t for what happened later, everyone would have forgotten that night entirely. It wasn’t like the ’70s, you know? Nights when you never knew what could happen; what to expect....
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Xochitl Gonzalez
