Big Swiss

by Jen Beagin

Book Overview

NATIONAL BESTSELLER AND CULT FAVORITE

Named a Best Book of the Year by the New Yorker, Time, NPR, Vogue, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Huffington Post, NBC News, Lit Hub, theSkimm, Cond Nast Traveler, Town & Country, and more

"One of the funniest books of the last few years" (Los Angeles Times) about a sex therapist's transcriptionist and her affair with one of the patients.

Greta lives with her friend Sabine in an ancient Dutch farmhouse in Hudson, New York. The house is unrenovated, uninsulated, and full of bees. Greta spends her days transcribing therapy sessions for a sex coach who calls himself Om. She becomes infatuated with his newest client, a repressed married woman she affectionately refers to as Big Swiss.

One day, Greta recognizes Big Swiss's voice in town and they quickly become enmeshed. While Big Swiss is unaware Greta has eavesdropped on her most intimate exchanges, Greta has never been more herself with anyone. Her attraction to Big Swiss overrides her guilt, and she'll do anything to sustain the relationship...

"A fantastic, weird-as-hell, super funny novel" (Bustle), Big Swiss is both a love story and a deft examination of infidelity, mental health, sexual stereotypes, and more--from an amazingly talented, singular voice in contemporary fiction.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1982153091
• ISBN13: 9781982153090
• Release Date: August 2023
• Publisher: Scribner Book Company
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.73 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.4" x 7.6"

Customer Reviews

4 stars

BIG SWISS by Jen Beagin This was bananas! Greta is MESSY AF. Ethics? Where!? Professionalism? Don’t know her. Greta listens in and transcribes therapy sessions thus learning all the sordid details and gossip about the residents in her town. (I mean, that *would* be kinda fun for a minute…) This book was all over the place in the best way. Unlikeable characters galore! The therapist, Bruce(Ohm), was a total hack, but I pictured him as Stanley Tucci so I also kinda loved him? While the story is funny there’s an underlying sense of grief. It also tackles themes of infatuation, infidelity, mental health and healing in an unexpected way. There was a lot of lead up to what happened to Greta as a child. After the reveal it wasn’t explored any further - ugh, I wanted to know more! Overall, it’s dark and hilariously unhinged. It’s witty and weird. I cackled and cringed. Recommend if you don’t mind problematic, unreliable characters. Just be mindful of the trigger warnings. Rating: 4/5 ⭐️