Anita de Monte Laughs Last
A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- £10.99
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- £10.99
Publisher Description
THE REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK FOR MARCH 2024
'I have goosebumps just talking about this story' REESE WITHERSPOON
'Smart, funny – and furious' MARIE CLAIRE
'Genre-busting ... A clear-eyed deconstruction of skewed value systems' FINANCIAL TIMES
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Who gets to leave a legacy?
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 progeny of film producers, C-Suite executives, and international art-dealers, most of whom float through life knowing that their futures are secured, Raquel feels herself an outsider. Students of colour, like Raquel, 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.
A NEW YORK TIMES, ELLE AND GOOD HOUSEKEEPING HIGHLIGHT FOR 2024
'Writing with urgency and rage, Gonzalez speaks up for those who have been othered and deemed unworthy, robbed of their legacy'
Washington Post
'Rollicking, melodic, tender and true. And oh so very wise'
Robert Jones, Jr., author of The Prophets
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
The best-selling author of Olga Dies Dreaming explores the way women of colour are marginalised in art and academia in this smart, biting novel. In 1985, Cuban artist Anita de Monte dies after falling from the window of the New York City apartment she shares with her husband, renowned artist Jack Martin. Thirteen years later, Brown University art history student Raquel Toro is trying to find a hook for her senior thesis on Martin when she stumbles upon the work of his forgotten wife. Suddenly, the long-buried de Monte has a new voice. We loved following the parallel stories of these two women. Author Xochitl Gonzalez spotlights everyday microaggressions and the ways institutions push women of colour aside to celebrate similar work from white men. Gonzalez doesn’t just give her characters agency—she lets them roar at the systems attempting to silence them. The result is a seriously cathartic read.
Customer Reviews
Brilliant.
It’s been too long since I have enjoyed a novel this much.