A review by bookishwithbug
Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad fast-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

4.5

📚BOOK REVIEW📚 :: Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez

Story premise: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Character development: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Writing style: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ending: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Audiobook: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book, and in particular,  the audiobook, had me FIRED UP! Xochitl Gonzalez is an absolute master of writing complex and brilliant characters who inspire and challenge, endear and endure.

It's the 1980s and Anita de Monte's star is rising in the art world. But the world -- and her husband, Jack Martin -- aren't ready to see her soar. When her life is "mysteriously" cut short,  the mark she was in the process of leaving, starts to fade.  More than a decade later, a young art history major is searching for her place in the world of academia and art. Raquel is fed a white-washed version of the past and to her great shame, she eats it up. Anita and Raquel's stories are told in parallel until they intersect. It is at this intersection that they both find themselves and their place in the world and in history. 

In Anita de Monte Laughs Last, Gonzalez tells a fictionalized story of the real life and death of Cuban artist, Ana Mendieta. Let me tell you, the very second I finished this book, I went down a very long, incredibly fascinating rabbit hole into the life and works of Mendieta. I highly recommend you do, as well.

While Raquel's quest and de Monte's rise and tragic fall both drive the plot, it's all in service of a larger story. It's the story of women, particularly women of color, fighting for a seat at the table. It's the story of women fighting against being seen and treated like the art they love -- as commodities to be consumed, possessed, controlled.  It's the story of the complicated and painful swim against a racist and patriarchal current. It's the story of the shame that follows when we fail our sisters, our selves. 

Gonzalez' use of narration allows for the most striking alternating perspectives. Anita's personality is captivating, her laugh rumbles off the page (and thunders with the INCOMPARABLE audiobook narration by Jessica Pimental).  Raquel is finding her voice, her power. Gonzalez dabbles into magical realism that feels less like magic and more like the only possible reality! While this is one of my absolute favorite genres, I can say absolutely anyone who loves a touch of the unbelievable will fall in love with this story and Gonzalez' writing. 

I am in awe of what Gonzalez created in this novel. Gonzalez captured me with Olga Dies Dreaming and she's keeping me, a forever fan, with Anita de Monte Laughs Last.