Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Anita de Monte Laughs Last

Art, power, love, murder, and finding yourself all come together in this challenging and beautiful novel. I felt so much rage, sorrow, and hope while reading this work. It is a work that particularly to me as a Chicana woman reminds me to not make myself small, or palatable to a white gaze and be myself, and demand change in systems.

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reflectiverambling_nalana's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

The highlighting of forgotten voices is not a new concept to explore. It will be easy for some to dismiss this as pushing a tired narrative at best or at worse while I don't picture those of the persuasion would be interested in this book to begin with being heavy handed in some of the elements it highlights. I confess that I had a bit of a jaded opinion until I started getting into the ryhthm of the narrative and the pieces started to fall into place.

So I'd challenge these readers to consider that they author chose to set this in a specific time frame. While there has been an increasing push to acknowledge forgotten voices we only got to this place where our eyes and hearts are open to a broader concept of how we were taught and now view history by people who existed at that turning point. That's not to say that there weren't many before our current day who didn't let stories be forgotten. But I'd venture to guess that it was in a time like the late 90s that the second perspective travels in that existed at this really significant crossing between timing and attention that started the ball rolling to where we find ourselves now.

ONe aspect about this novel that I appreciate is the parallel not only how someone's work is judged, but how their personality is. We are used to seeing characters like Anita cast as angry, vengeful, spiteful ,and ugly. In this book Anita isn't restrained, that is true, but it's also painfully clear that both people in that relationship are toxic in their own ways. The difference is that female anger is far less 'acceptable'. Anita, nor the author, ever apologizes for this portrayal because why should it be demeaning for Anita but not her husband? It's wrapped up in the same bow as his career- what happens when he comes under suspicion as opposed to what would happen to her. I loved her anger because it wasn't just that--it was passion. It was her being completely honest with herself and the world.

Without wanting to give away the twist to this novel, I absolutely adored how it gave a fantastical element constraints. I loved the concept of memory as fuel, power. It adds an extra layer to the revelations that can be contained simply by acknowledging and lifting up a voice.

I also enjoyed how it brushed on not asking for erasure of things that have long been deemed as classics or masters, but just challenged the reasons why and supported the expansion of those notions.

The notion of family, found and real, was also an incredible point.

Finally, I generally consider it a good thing if reading a book from the perspective of someone who shares a different life experience from me if I'm uncomfortable. I welcome it making me consider my own ideas and ways of thinking. So I struggle with how to express this particular reaction I had. It's not because it rang my guilt bell. It was more of a second hand pain for some of the couples I have known.

I very recently finished another book that dealt with an interracial and class relationship that was disastrous. Now I'm not saying for a moment that those experiences are even outliers. The emphasis on more privileged trying to 'better' others is probably more common than ever, honestly. But it left me wondering if there was any room to portray these things as anything but. Or, on the other side of seeing these things portrayed, for them to be completely idealized with no understandings and full acceptance. It was a little disheartening to see relationships that were portrayed as possibly having serious flaws being recognized and altered to spiraling. Though, to be fair, if the misconceptions stemmed from class or race or only when these two converged is not necessarily apparent.

Given the particular narrative I understood why things went in this direction for this story and the sake of parallels. It just led me to the realization of how much appreciation I have for stories where differences are seen, mistakes are made, and addressed in ways that paint characters in less drastically villainous ways. Not necessarily for everything to be happily ever after or magically okay. People can fail to make a relationship work, fail to realize in all the ways they still need to work on themselves, without being all out destructive to the other. It wouldn't have worked in this story, but I hope we are also creating spaces for that dynamic to be shown if only in homage to people who have navigated these spaces of cross cultural relationships when it was even less prominent or portrayed as just a mater of fetishism.

a really memorable, passionate, read. Though, as an art lover, I suppose I might have also gone in with bias.

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starrfishandcoffee's review against another edition

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challenging dark inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

Yes, yes, yes!!!! I absolutely devoured and LOVED this powerful, rage-filled, sometimes snarky, feminist tale. Set in the ~art world~, told in multiple POVs over dual timelines (1980s/1990s), this novel explores so many universal themes: class, privilege, racism, power dynamics, gender roles, sexism, toxic masculinity, toxic relationships, the weaponization of culture… to name just a few.

Gonzalez flawlessly swings back and forth from artist Anita and her chaotic marriage to the abusive Jack to Raquel falling under the spell of fellow student Nick and entering an ever so subtly suffocating relationship with him (read: toxic, racist, controlling, rich, white fxxkboy). The nuances of what abuse and privilege look like are crafted so perfectly, it reads and feels like a story that we’ve all heard so many iterations of so many times, too many times, or perhaps unfortunately are personally familiar with.

Anita is at times unhinged and vengeful (which I love), but she is fundamentally what so many of us women are: seeking to be seen, heard, and appreciated in our own right.

This book made me laugh, made my blood pressure rise, made me punch the air in triumph. READ IT!!!!!!!

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schnurln's review against another edition

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challenging reflective slow-paced

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

2.75

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lsartist's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad 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

5.0

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thecriticalreader's review against another edition

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emotional 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? It's complicated

1.5

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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bibliomich's review

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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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