Anita de Monte Laughs Last Chapter 18: Raquel – Summary & Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Raquel receives an unexpected call from Mrs. Fitzsimmons (Linda), who invites her to drinks at the University Club, claiming Nick asked her to help them “reengage.” For a week, Raquel has been tormented by Nick’s silence after she spotted his car in Providence when he was supposed to be away. She threw herself into thesis research on Jack Martin and discovered a radical stylistic detour in his 1980s work: circular, organic shapes. At work, her boss Belinda Kim reveals that Jack Martin was married to artist Anita de Monte and was tried for her murder—a fact omitted from academic accounts. Belinda’s anger shocks Raquel. That evening, Raquel and Astrid meet the Fitzsimmonses. Linda dismisses Anita as a “pushy Cuban thing” and implies she deserved what happened. After the parents leave, Nick and Raquel argue about his disappearance. He admits he felt overwhelmed by their class differences but insists he wants her by his side because she is “the real deal.” Raquel reluctantly accepts his apology, and they kiss, though she still tastes her own tears.

Key Events

Linda Fitzsimmons calls Raquel at work, revealing Nick asked her to orchestrate a meeting.
Raquel recalls the week of agony after spotting Nick’s car and receiving no explanation.
She buries herself in library research, finding a strange shift in Jack Martin’s work toward circles and organic shapes.
Belinda Kim tells Raquel that Jack Martin killed his wife, Anita de Monte, and that the art world erased her.
Raquel and Astrid attend cocktails at the University Club; Mrs. Fitzsimmons talks over Raquel and denigrates Anita.
Nick and Raquel argue on the street; he admits he was scared by their different backgrounds.
Raquel confronts her own shame about her family; Nick professes his love but frames it in terms of ambition.
They reconcile with a kiss that leaves Raquel unsettled.

Character Development

Raquel – Her hidden class insecurities surface when Nick echoes her own internalized shame about her family. She begins to see how she has distanced herself from her mother and sister. Learning about Anita de Monte shakes her academic confidence and forces her to question the canon she has been taught.

Nick Fitzsimmons – His behavior reveals a pattern: he withdraws when confronted with reality, then relies on his mother to fix things. His apology is self-centered, emphasizing how Raquel’s “realness” benefits him rather than expressing genuine remorse for causing her pain.

Astrid – She refuses to involve herself in Raquel’s drama with Nick, calling it a “mess.” At the club, she directly challenges her mother’s dismissal of Anita, showing a moral clarity that Raquel lacks in that moment.

Mrs. Fitzsimmons (Linda) – Her casual racism and classism emerge when she disparages Anita as a “loud, pushy Cuban thing” and suggests the murder was justified. She treats Astrid coldly and Raquel as a project.

Belinda Kim – A minor but pivotal figure, she reveals the suppressed history of Anita de Monte and voices the systemic erasure of women of colour in the art world. Her anger and tears show the personal cost of this erasure.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Class and belonging – The core tension between Raquel’s background and Nick’s privilege is laid bare. His comment that they are “from different New Yorks” crystallises the divide. Raquel’s shame about her mother’s boastfulness mirrors a recurring motif of passing or hiding one’s origins.

Erasure of women artists – Anita de Monte’s story, buried by the academic and museum establishment, becomes the chapter’s central revelation. Belinda’s words—that “they wiped her away”—echo the novel’s title and promise that Anita will eventually “laugh last.”

Circles vs. straight lines – Raquel’s discovery of circular forms in Jack Martin’s work (rare for a minimalist known for grids and beams) symbolises breakthrough and resistance. The “amoeba-like” shape in the middle of a sea of ingots hints at something organic and feminine that was suppressed.

The University Club – The setting itself is a symbol of old-money WASP privilege. Raquel feels she has “passed” and been invited into a space where Latin people are not usually welcomed, mirroring Linda’s comment about Anita.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 18 is the turning point where Raquel gains crucial knowledge about the Jack Martin thesis she has devoted herself to—and about Nick. Belinda’s revelation shatters the tidy narrative Raquel was constructing and aligns her own position (a young Latina woman) with that of Anita de Monte. The parallel between Raquel’s desire to be accepted into Nick’s world and Anita’s erasure is subtle but damning. Nick’s “reasons” for disappearing are exposed as self-serving and patronising, yet Raquel still chooses reconciliation. This chapter sets up both a personal and intellectual reckoning that will define the rest of the novel.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Mrs. Fitzsimmons call Raquel instead of Nick doing it himself, and what does this reveal about their relationship dynamic?
Mrs. Fitzsimmons calls because Nick asked her to, admitting he was too embarrassed to apologise directly. This reveals that Nick avoids confrontation and relies on his mother to manage his personal life, while Raquel feels unable to refuse a parental figure. It sets a pattern where Nick’s privilege shields him from accountability.
What does Belinda Kim’s emotional reaction to Raquel’s thesis topic suggest about the art world’s treatment of Anita de Monte?
Belinda’s anger and tears show that Anita’s murder and subsequent erasure are a raw, personal wound for those who fought for justice. The fact that Raquel, a senior at an Ivy League school, had never heard of Anita proves that the institution has actively silenced her story. Belinda’s line about “the worst part” being that she herself stopped thinking of Anita reinforces how systemic erasure works.
How does the argument between Raquel and Nick on the street connect to Raquel’s earlier feeling of being a “mirror to her own view”?
When Nick says her family is from a “different New York,” he vocalises the very shame Raquel has been trying to suppress. She realises she has been complicit in distancing herself from her mother and sister to fit into Nick’s world. The argument forces her to confront that her gratitude for Nick’s acceptance is tangled with self-hatred—a mirror she can no longer avoid.