Anita de Monte Laughs Last

Anita de Monte Laughs Last (2024) is American author Xochitl Gonzalez’s second book. Part campus novel and part homage to the late Cuban artist Ana Mendieta, Anita de Monte Laughs Last examines eurocentrism in the art world, the impact of toxic masculinity on both personal and professional relationships, and the ways in which stereotypes and anti-Latinx prejudices harm young women of color. The story shares many common themes with Gonzalez’s first novel, Olga Dies Dreaming (2022), and the success of both books has established Gonzalez as an important new voice within Latinx literatures and American literature as a whole. However, Anita de Monte Laughs Last did generate controversy because Xochitl Gonzalez did not secure permission from Ana Mendieta’s estate to use her art and life story in the novel, and Mendieta’s relatives were unhappy with Gonzalez’s representation of Ana Mendieta and her legacy.

Xochitl Gonzalez, whose background is both Puerto Rican and Mexican American, grew up in Brooklyn and attended Brown University. Her parents were active in the Socialist Workers Party, and her novels reflect her strong interest in social, racial, and gender justice. At Brown, Gonzalez intended to major in creative writing but ultimately pursued a degree in art history. After graduation, she worked in consulting but remained interested in the world of fiction. She credits her grandmother’s death with giving her the courage to pursue writing full time, and in 2021, she earned an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Although her novels are not precisely autobiographical, they do feature protagonists who, like Gonzalez herself, must navigate affluent white spaces (Brown University, a high-profile wedding, and the New York art world) while developing a sense of what it means to be a Latinx woman in 20th- and 21st-century America.

This guide refers to the 2024 hardcover edition published by Flatiron Books.

Content Warning: Both the source text and this guide contain descriptions of murder, domestic violence and abuse, misogyny, racism, and disordered eating. The source text also features frequent references to the obsolete terms “First World” and “Third World.”

Plot Summary

The novel unfolds in chapters that alternate between the artist Anita de Monte, her husband Jack Martin (who is also an artist), and Raquel Toro, an art history student at Brown. Ana and Jack’s timeline begins in the 1980s at the height of their respective careers, while Raquel’s begins in 1998 as she is starting to write her thesis on Jack Martin’s work. The novel opens with Anita’s story. She is at a party thrown by Tilly, Jack’s friend and gallerist. Jack and Tilly, who both consider Jack to be the better artist, are surprised to learn that Anita’s work will be displayed in a solo show.

The novel then shifts to 1998 to introduce the character of Raquel. A Latinx student at the majority-white Brown University, Raquel acutely feels the differences between herself and her fellow students. One trio, whom Raquel dubs “the Art History Girls,” is particularly intimidating, even though one of the girls is Lebanese and as such is the only other student of color in the art department. Raquel does have several close friends and remains deeply bonded with her mother and sister. As the narrative begins, Raquel has just been awarded a coveted internship at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and has decided to write her thesis on the artist Jack Martin. Her advisor, Professor Temple, is a huge fan of Jack’s work and is happy with Raquel’s choice.

The narrative shifts back to the 1980s. Anita and Jack are not a happy couple; Jack is arrogant and self-centered, and he resents Anita’s success. He considers himself to be a great artist and an important figure, and he sees Anita primarily as his cheerleader. Their relationship grows increasingly angry and volatile, and Jack begins cheating on Anita with multiple women. Like Raquel, Anita is a Latinx woman in a predominantly white world, and although she observes that the art scene is beginning to diversify, she is still frequently shunned and stereotyped.

At Brown, Raquel begins dating Nick Fitzsimmons, an affluent white student whose parents are major players in the New York art world. Nick is a budding artist and is already beginning to show his work before he graduates. Raquel is initially spellbound by his status on campus and enjoys the attention he gives her, the clothing he buys her, and the exclusive parties that they attend together. However, Nick begins to show signs of possessiveness; he exhibits controlling behavior and only appreciates Raquel for the support that she provides him in the early stages of his career. He begins to remake her image, and she has the sense that he does not entirely accept her true self.

The narrative focus returns to the 1980s. Anita and Jack continue to struggle in their marriage. During one particularly volatile fight, Jack throws Anita out the apartment window, and she falls to her death below. Jack is immediately a suspect in the crime. His gallerist Tilly comes to his aid and enlists the help of a prominent lawyer. Jack intends to fight the charges, although all of the art world (and all of New York) buzzes with news of the death, and the prevailing opinion is that Jack is guilty. Ultimately, he is not convicted of the crime, and Tilly uses her influence to make sure that Anita and her work are forgotten. Meanwhile, Anita’s vengeful spirit haunts Jack. She disturbs his sex life, his work, and his home life, and she also manages to disrupt his career. She even manifests as a bat and harasses Tilly for helping Jack to erase her presence in the art world. However, the strength of Anita’s spirit is tied to her legacy, and as the years pass and people begin to forget her, her power wanes and she is no longer able to haunt Jack.

Raquel and Nick also begin to struggle in their relationship. Although Nick’s parents are fond of Raquel in what she observes to be a bigoted way, Raquel’s mother and sister do not approve of Nick, and he does not build a rapport with either of them. Although he does seem to be helping Raquel’s career by introducing her to all the right people, she increasingly feels like an accessory who is only meant to showcase Nick’s brilliance, not her own. Their situation reaches a critical point when the two decide that Nick will cut Raquel’s hair. He has always deemed it too long and unruly, and he prefers her to wear it pulled back into a tight chignon. He cuts far more than the two agreed, and Raquel ends up with a pixie cut. She realizes that he is too self-centered, racist, and self-aggrandizing, and she decides to leave him.

In the midst of her relationship chaos, Raquel discovers the works of Anita de Monte. She learns about Anita’s murder from her supervisor at RISD, a female curator with whom she builds a close friendship. Raquel is amazed by de Monte’s work and shifts the focus of her thesis project to examine de Monte’s influence on Jack Martin. Her finished product is so successful that it is published, and the magazine that prints it offers Raquel a job. Her interest in Anita de Monte revives the woman’s spirit, and Anita is able to return to haunt Jack one more time and to watch over Raquel, in whom she sees much of herself as a young woman.