Anita de Monte Laughs Last

In 1985, Anita de Monte was a rising artist trapped in a tumultuous marriage to Jack Martin. In 1998, Raquel Toro is an art history student living in Providence, RI, preparing to write her senior thesis and struggling to find her place on a predominantly white college campus. Gonzalez’s (Olga Dies Dreaming) latest traverses time, location, and perspective, allowing listeners to witness Anita’s murder and subsequent fall into anonymity, until Raquel learns of Anita’s work. Raquel sees herself reflected in Anita’s life and art: a young Latina woman trying to find her place in a white world while navigating relationships with men who seek control and domination. Narrated by Stacy Gonzalez, Jonathan Gregg, and Jessica Pimentel, the audio thrums with rage and passion as it details the excision of nonwhite artists from the public sphere. Gonzalez’s haunting novel examines how legacy is inscribed in historical spaces and emphasizes the importance of strength, love, and community in the fight for equity.