ANITA DE MONTE LAUGHS LAST is Reese’s March Book Club Pick (3/7/24)

ANITA DE MONTE LAUGHS LAST by Xochitl Gonzalez is Reese’s book club pick for March!

In 1985, Anita de Monte, a rising star in the art world, is found dead in New York City and her tragic death is the talk of the town. But by 1998 Anita’s name has been all but forgotten—certainly by the time Raquel, an art history student, is preparing her final thesis. When Raquel stumbles upon Anita’s story, it raises questions about the dynamics of her own romantic relationship, which eerily mirrors that of the forgotten artist.

 

“Gonzalez weaves three perspectives and two converging time lines together within the art worlds and academia of New York City, Provincetown, Cuba, and Spain in four parts… Anita’s passionate, thrilling voice…drives the story lines to a felicitous collision. Inspired by and dedicated to artist Ana Mendieta in light of her tragic death, this is a brutal but ultimately heartwarming and certainly thought-provoking novel of Latinx magic, family, and feminine power.”–Booklist, starred review

“In addition to the intrigue generated by Raquel’s search for answers about de Monte’s death, 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

 

ANITA DE MONTE LAUGHS LAST by Xochitl Gonzalez; 9781250786210; available now