Author(s): Xochitl Gonzalez

General Fiction

'Rollicking, melodic, tender and true. And oh so very wise' Robert Jones, Jr., author of The Prophets

Who gets to leave a legacy?

1985. Anita de Monte, a rising star in the art world, is found dead in New York City; her tragic death is the talk of the town. Until it isn't.

By 1998 Anita's name has been all but forgotten certainly by the time Raquel, a third-year art history student is preparing her final thesis. On College Hill, surrounded by progeny of film producers, C-Suite executives, and international art-dealers, most of whom float through life knowing that their futures are secured, Raquel feels herself an outsider. Students of colour, like Raquel, are the minority there, and the pressure to work twice as hard for the same opportunities is no secret. But when Raquel becomes romantically involved with a well-connected older art student, she finds herself unexpectedly rising up the social ranks.

As she attempts to straddle both worlds, she stumbles upon Anita's story, raising questions about the dynamics of her own relationship, which eerily mirrors that of the forgotten artist.

Moving back and forth through time and told from the perspectives of both women, Anita de Monte Laughs Last is a propulsive, witty examination of power, love and art, daring to ask who gets to be remembered and who is left behind in the rarefied world of the elite.

Praise for Xochitl Gonzalez and Olga Dies Dreaming

'Don't underestimate this new novelist. She's jump-starting the year with a smart romantic comedy that lures us in with laughter and keeps us hooked with a fantastically engaging story' Washington Post

'The sharpest and best written social comedy in a while' Los Angeles Times

'An astounding new voice' Esquire

Matilda Bookshop Review

Inspired by the life and death of conceptual artist Ana Mendieta, this novel is a page-turner with a question of justice at its heart: who gets to be remembered, and why? Anita is an on-the-rise Cuban artist murdered by her lauded sculptor husband in 1985, narrating her fury beyond the grave. In 1998, Raquel, an art history student who feels like an outsider at her Ivy League university, navigates the intersection of class, race and gender as she falls in love with a wealthier, well-connected young artist. The thrill of the story is in waiting for Raquel to uncover Anita's story and make the connection to her own life. ROSE