Rita Dragonette’s storytelling in the Last Sunset in San Miguel squeezes out deep and rich human emotions—love, regret, longing, and personal legacy—through sharp dialogue reminiscent of Sally Rooney and Ernest Hemingway, full of hidden meaning and emotional weight. The novel’s characters celebrate life’s penultimate chapters while desperately trying to grasp the meaning of it all, reminding us that we all eventually reap what we sow and, in the end, want our lives to have meant something despite the stark reality that life’s true purpose may forever be out of reach.