Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - Anita de Monte Laughs Last

TL;DR: So disappointing! Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xóchitl González is another well-written, captivating read that I gave a low rating to because I have fundamental ethical issues with how the author chose to write this story. In short, this book champions the value of remembrance and the important role someone’s cultural background and life story plays in their art, but González betrays these very values in the act of writing this book.

Anita de Monte Laughs Last follows two timelines. The first follows the titular Anita de Monte, an upcoming Cuban American artist in a fractious marriage with Jack Martin, a minimalist darling in the art world. Jack’s cruel narcissism and Anita’s strong sense of self-worth clash repeatedly, until one day Anita is found dead after a fall from their New York City apartment in 1985. The second timeline takes place in the late 1990s from the perspective of Raquel, an art history student at Brown University who is eager to find her place in the elite art world. Raquel chooses to write her thesis on Jack Martin but discovers the forgotten art and life of Anita de Monte in the process, changing her life trajectory.

The chapters from Raquel’s perspective are the strongest part of the story. Raquel’s life, perspective, and relationships are fleshed out and vibrant; González expertly builds the world around her and explores how that world’s exclusivity, xenophobia, and racism negatively affects Raquel’s career and personal life. The little details make this story come to life, and it’s clear that it comes from a place that is close to the author’s heart and experiences. Through Raquel’s work in the art world, the book also makes some interesting points about culture, art, and storytelling.

Anita’s chapters are captivating due to González’s strong writing style, but something about Anita’s character feels off to me. Anita is significantly less developed as a character than Raquel; despite the book’s repeated assertions that Anita’s Cuban identity and past profoundly shape her character and her work, these elements remain blurry and underdeveloped. I looked up reviews of this book on GoodReads and discovered that Anita’s story is directly inspired by the true life and death of Cuban American artist Ana Mendieta, right down to the small details about Anita’s life and work. (Thank you to Avery Desmond for bringing this to my attention in their review!)

This is a problem for two reasons.

One, González never makes it clear to the reader that Anita’s story is a fictional retelling of a real-life tragedy. Nowhere in this book does it say that it was inspired by real people and events, and the author does not mention Mendieta by her full name; the most she gets is a quick first-name mention in the dedication. Which is so fucking weird, especially since one of the book’s biggest morals is how important it is to remember the names and contributions of women of color in art, especially for people like Anita, who were victimized and mistreated in their life and death. So why does it feel like González is intentionally deceiving her audience and burying the real story of Ana Mendieta?

Two, González is a non-Cuban author fictionalizing the story of a real Cuban American person, and it shows. Her depictions of Cuba and Anita’s Cuban-ness feel way more stereotypical and flat compared to Raquel’s. The book asserts that Anita is more than just a “spicy Cuban” stereotype, but ultimately, that’s all she really gets to be in the story. The author relegates her background, family life, and relationship to Cuba to just a handful of sentences, and almost all we see of Anita are moments where she’s angry, spiteful, or vengeful. That’s not to say that Anita doesn’t have a good reason for her anger, but I think a Cuban author who truly felt strongly about doing service to Ana’s story would do a much better job at crafting a fully realized character. Again, González’s choice to write Anita clashes with the values espoused in the book, which makes clear the perils of divorcing art from a person’s cultural background. Why did González feel like she was the right person to tell Ana Mendieta’s story, and why doesn’t she even acknowledge that she’s telling it?

I’m so disappointed, because Raquel’s story could have stood on its own as this book’s only narrative. As I said earlier, Raquel’s chapters are well-written, powerful, and engaging. González wouldn’t need to change anything about Raquel’s story, except to replace the name “Anita de Monte” with “Ana Mendieta” and mention the real-life artist in an author’s note. But because González decided to appropriate a historical tragedy without acknowledgment, this book left a bad taste in my mouth.

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blackbookishbabe89's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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little_literarian's review against another edition

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inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book was so good, loved the dual perspective and the audiobook narration was superb!

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readswithcocktails's review against another edition

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5.0

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bibliomich's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Following two parallel stories set a decade apart, Anita de Monte Laughs Last dives deep into the themes of art, ego, racism, classism, feminism, and love. And Xochitl Gonzalez does this with such brilliant wit that the book had me literally laughing out loud one second, and then dropping my mouth in astonishment in the next.

What I loved:
- The audiobook narration. If you can listen to this one, I highly recommend it. The book rotates between three different narrators, all of whom bring so much life and passion to the characters' voices.
- The characters: Anita de Monte is the queen of revenge, and I loved every second of it. Beyond the title character, though, Gonzalez has created a full cast of characters whom you love to love and/or love to hate.
- The way the author depicts the art world: I'll admit--I know nothing about the art world, art history, or art genres, but it didn't matter at all. Gonzalez swept me up into this world, and even though I was coming in with no prior knowledge, I felt like I understood it all. The elitism, the b.s., the racism--all of it was so well illustrated that I could see these scenes playing out in my mind as if I were standing there in those very galleries.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my advanced listener copy!

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ains_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

RIP Ana Mendieta. Rot in hell Carl. This was a heart warming, gut wrenching story (very character driven) inspired by the forgotten Latina artist, Ana Mendieta. I think it’s safe to say her husband killed her, which is the case in this story.

The story was moving slowly for the first half, but then things picked up and I was captivated. Although I wish Raquel would’ve learned about Anita a little sooner, it seemed a little last minute.

Unlike any book I’ve ever read before!

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mrscorytee's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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reneethebookbird's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring

5.0

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