Author: Xochitl Gonzalez
Year published: 2024
Category: Adult fiction
Pages: 352 pages
Rating: 4 out of 5
Location: (my 2024 Google Reading map): USA (RI, NY)
Summary: 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 privileged students whose futures are already paved out for them, Raquel feels like an outsider. Students of color, like her, 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.
Review: I enjoyed Gonzalez' novel Olga Dies Dreaming (link to my review) and this one was also good.
I loved art history when I was in college (and, obviously, now... a good museum outing makes me happy) so this book appealed to me with its characters who are artists or art historians and the discussions of art and artists (and their impact). I particularly thought that the angle of one artists control or influence on the career of another artist was interesting. And the fact that the men (and those catering to the men) practically erased the work of the woman of color made it even more intriguing.
There is a bit of magical realism (dead people influencing the living) that isn't really my thing, but this book did it well, having it impact the journey of the characters, not just be a "thing" that was going on in someone's mind.
I also liked that one of the main characters, Raquel, was dealing with relationship issues, power issues, and discovering who she is and what she wants as she finishes college.
Challenges for which this counts:
- Literary Escapes--Rhode Island
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