Big Swiss

Jen Beagin’s Big Swiss is a wild romp through the world of a sex therapist (“Om”) and his transcriptionist, Greta. The book, however, focuses on one of Om’s clients, a woman Greta nicknames “Big Swiss” (for whatever reason; her real name is Flavia). Greta is transfixed by Big Swiss; listening to her sessions with Om, she feels a deep attraction to her, and it’s only a matter of time before the women meet, mostly due to Greta’s orchestrations. They strike up a very intimate relationship, but Greta knows that her ruse will eventually surface.

This book is beyond quirky, it is deeply strange, tempered by Beagin’s scathing humor. I was so impressed with this book I immediately purchased her other novel, Pretend I’m Dead. show more Themes of voyeurism, client-therapist relationships, and making very, very bad decisions swirl about. This book is very freaky, absurd, and fiendishly clever.

Oh, to add to the weirdness of it all, Greta lives in a weird old house with her equally weird friend Sabine, whose kitchen is home to a hive of 50,000 bees. Yeah. Also, if you’re a fan of Ottessa Moshfegh, you will probably love this book. show less

Greta is a transcriber. She listens to recordings of therapy sessions and transcribes them for the therapist. But it is uncomfortable work for two reasons. She is brought face to face with just how messed up the sex lives of the citizens in her town are. And she has developed an overwhelming fascination with one of the therapist’s clients whom she only knows by her voice and her initials. In her fantasies she calls her, “Big Swiss.” But then when she inadvertently meets with the woman who has that voice from the taped sessions, she is astounded by her physical beauty (and her tragic history). Events ensue and “torrid” might be a modest description of their relationship. But as Greta notes late on in the book, “human show more relationships are pure folly.”

The writing here is vibrant and controlled. The situations run to the edge of absurdity (and horror) with an acerbic humour that sometimes is distracting, though probably deliberately so. It is clever without being full of itself, if that’s a thing. And even though all of the characters are multiply flawed, I found myself caring about them and hoping they could survive their own lives.

Certainly worth reading. And definitely a novelist I will look for again. show less

Wow. I have been reading a string of books that were more plot-driven and less sad Brooklyn girl than my usual fare, and enjoying the heck out of them. I started to think that maybe I needed a break from MFAs exploring their trauma response. This extraordinary, relentlessly entertaining, surprising, quietly heartbreaking book upended that line of thought entirely. I don't know how to explain the plot (such as it is) so I will just say that denial ain't just a river in Egypt, and that it only works for so long. Eventually, you find yourself living in a crumbling home and connecting to the world through a rather odd form of voyeurism and stalking and talking to and caring for animals you have anthropomorphized from bees to miniature show more donkeys. Just read it. It is like nothing you have ever read before. show less

The Short of It:

What a fun, darkly humorous book.

The Rest of It:

"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." ~ the publisher

Transcribing sex therapy sessions is already unusual work, but everything shifts the moment Greta recognizes a familiar voice in the park. Standing right in front of her is the woman she has only known through transcripts, the one she has privately dubbed Big Swiss. Seeing her in real life is startling. She is show more tall, poised, and quietly commanding. Greta realizes she knows intimate details about this woman’s life, yet the urge to know more only deepens.

What begins as curiosity turns into something far more consuming. Greta’s fascination with Big Swiss, whose real name is Flavia, grows intense and increasingly risky. Flavia is married, and Greta is painfully aware of that marriage through the therapy sessions she transcribes. Still, there is an undeniable pull between them. That tension is heightened by the shadow hanging over Flavia’s life, as she is being stalked by the person who once nearly killed her.

As their connection develops into something complicated and unconventional, Greta is forced to confront her own past. She carries deep guilt over her mother’s death, a burden she cannot seem to shake. Meanwhile, life in a small town offers little room for secrets. Everyone is entangled in everyone else’s business, especially when a sex therapist sits at the center, quietly collecting stories and asking probing questions that linger long after the sessions end.

Greta’s job pays the bills, but it also puts her in a morally precarious position. When the boundaries of confidentiality begin to blur, she faces a choice that could unravel everything. Even her eccentric, free-spirited roommate struggles to understand what is at stake.

This novel blends dark humor with an exploration of unconventional relationships. It moves through friendship, obsession, desire, and fear while asking difficult questions. What does it mean to give yourself fully to another person? Is it a loss of self, or a way of becoming whole?

Highly recommended.

For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter. show less

Wow, this book is awesome. I didn't think I was craving romance, but this hit all the bittersweet romantic/sexual beats I didn't even know I needed: mutual obsession, longing, sexual tension, awkwardness, painful truths, etc. Greta is such a funny, bizarre, and utterly enjoyable character to follow. I found myself inexplicably laughing or gasping or cringing at her behavior, and being able to occupy the mind of this strange voyeuristic woman with a childlike brain was just fascinating. I loved being able to recognize people with her and know their deepest secrets together, it made me feel like I was in on something nobody else was. The setting in this book was incredibly strong as well, not only in creating the environment of Hudson, NY show more and the people in it (which I found very hilariously relatable as a resident of Portland, OR), but the environment of her very unusual home life in a 1700s bee-infested Dutch farmhouse. Every character and every relationship felt so rich and real and sweet. One could argue the main themes of this book were about trauma, and how it affects people and their relationships, but I don't think that theme felt very "theme-y" if that makes sense. It was a natural part of the story without being shoved in your face as a reader. To me this felt more centered around passion, strangeness, humor, and the many facets of the human condition. When I was reading this book, I thought, this is awesome. Not my fav, but awesome. When I finished it I was like, great. I really liked that. Only after a day of truly processing it did I realize how this is a 4.5/5 star read. I just can't get these characters, this setting, and all the feelings it gave me, out of my head. show less

I had never read a book with so many unlikeable characters that I enjoyed so thoroughly. They all suck, but it’s great. Made me laugh loudly many times in awkward places at awkward times. Warning: high crass.

I loved this book. It was beautiful, hilarious, weird, relatable, and very gay. Big Swiss dives into heavy themes like trauma, sexual fluidity, femininity, suicidality, and mental turmoil with comedic grace that’s sharp and intentional, never off-putting. (You know when a book tries to be funny about serious things and it just comes off as gross, this is not that)
I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did, but it was lovely. It’s the kind of book you savor, one that made me slow down and enjoy every chapter. Jen Beagin’s writing style is also so unique and refreshing. 4.5/5⭐️