Book Review
Holly Dykstra on Sex as a Political Condition
“From Skepticism to Appreciation: Reading a Border Satire”
Critical evaluation of Sex as a Political Condition: A Border Novel
From Holly Dykstra’s Review
“When I first picked up the book, I was skeptical but curious. With a title like Sex as a Political Condition and a cover depicting a semi-automatic rifle—attached to which is a woman's erotically extended leg adorned with a bright red stiletto—it's difficult to avoid being intrigued by Carlos Nicolás Flores' border novel... That was three years ago. Two months ago, I finished my new favorite Mexican American novel.”
Dykstra recounts her initial resistance to the novel's raw satirical exterior, followed by an appreciation of its layered commentary on gender, politics, and border culture, culminating in its recognition as a standout work in modern Mexican American fiction.
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Scholarly Paper
Modern Language Association (MLA) Conference
“Nihilism, Masculinity, and Mockery in Flores’s Escandón”
Presented by Holly Dykstra • Academic Conference Paper
From the Conference Paper Abstract
“Flores' 2015 novel transports readers to fictional Escandón, a representation of border-town Laredo, during 1980s Cold War America... In the novel's context, Honoré represents the remnants of man. The decline of the image of man as hero, the slaughter of millions of men in wars, the rise of feminism and attack on patriarchy, and the ever-present threat of impending nuclear attacks in Cold War America leaves men (and women) grasping for meaning and identity. For Honoré, this means answering two questions: 1. ¿Quién es Honoré? and 2. ¿Qué significa honor?”
An academic study analyzing the existential dilemmas of protagonist Honoré del Castillo, examining how the novel uses satirical comedy to address Cold War anxieties, shifting masculine identities, and borderland socio-political upheaval.
READ THE REVIEW.