FICTION

Anita de Monte Laughs Last

Flatiron. Mar. 2024. 352p. ISBN 9781250786210. $28.99. F
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What type of man brings his girlfriend to his wife’s funeral? Gonzalez (Olga Dies Dreaming) answers with Jack Martin in this extraordinary tale of art, love, jealousy, betrayal, and murder, a Reese’s Book Club pick. Jack is the most famous sculptural artist of his time. His wife is Anita de Monte, a fellow artist and Cuban exile, whose ambitions are fierce. She has many successes, winning the Rome Prize, among others. Jack’s attempts to usurp her artistic abilities do not prevail, and after many attempts to control her, he throws her out of a 33-story window. Raquel Toro, a Puerto Rican graduate art student at Brown University, learns of Anita’s untimely death while doing research on Jack, the topic of her thesis. While discovering Anita’s art as well as her tragic death, Raquel assesses her own life and severs her relationship with a wealthy student who treats her as if she were a mannequin to boost his own ego and mold her into his perfect companion.
VERDICT Gonzalez’s novel is based on the true story of artist Ana Mendieta who tragically died young, allegedly at the hands of a jealous man. The writing is absolutely fabulous, the story is gripping, and the characters are memorable. Outstanding.
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