Anita de Monte Laughs Last

In 1985, Anita de Monte was a bold new voice with a bright future in the art world—until her dead body is found in New York and suddenly there's no future anymore. Whispers of tragedy faded fast, and by 1998, Anita’s name has all but disappeared from art history. That is, until Raquel, a third-year art student at an elite university, stumbles across her story.

Raquel, a Latina navigating a predominantly white, privileged campus, feels the weight of invisibility. Struggling to belong, she begins dating a well-connected, older student, gaining access to a world that never quite feels like hers. But as she digs deeper into Anita’s forgotten legacy, unsettling parallels emerge between their lives—particularly in the power dynamics shaping their relationships.

Told through the dual perspectives of Anita and Raquel, Anita de Monte Laughs Last is a sharp, compelling novel about art, memory, and who gets to shape the narrative. With biting wit and emotional depth, it interrogates the erasure of women of color in elite spaces, asking what it takes to be seen—and to reclaim what’s been lost.