marywahlmeierbracciano's review
challenging
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Hot damn, I can already tell this is going to be one of my favorite books of 2023—every page makes me want to bray in delight! Its self-destructive, middle-aged heroine, Greta, is one of the most fascinating characters I’ve ever read. Greta has trauma, Greta has issues, Greta has a dog named Piñon and a job as a transcriptionist for a sex therapist with questionable credentials. To me, Greta’s job feels like drinking gossip through a straw like a milkshake, and it’s how she becomes obsessed with Big Swiss, a client whose sessions she transcribes. To Greta’s surprise, Big Swiss soon becomes obsessed with her, too. For readers of Melissa Broder and other fans of hilarious, unforgettable queer chaos.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Medical content, Injury/injury detail, Drug use, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Stalking, Blood, and Mental illness
Minor: Abandonment and Emotional abuse
thevioletfoxbookshop's review
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
In an old Dutch farmhouse full of bees and lead paint, Greta transcribes sessions between a sex coach and his patients. Greta becomes fascinated with one of the patients, whom she refers to as Big Swiss. When Greta and Big Swiss meet at the dog park, their lives become irreversibly entangled.
Big Swiss is the sort of strange and beautiful novel that you have to read to believe. It's utterly shocking, absolutely hysterical, and beautifully cynical. Honestly, it was unlike anything else I've ever read.
I laughed out loud on every other page, rolled my eyes at the pervasive hipster things Big Swiss pokes fun at, and thoroughly enjoyed the quirky atmosphere.
However funny and entertaining, though, know that Big Swiss is also an intimate and often disturbing portrait of mental illness, infidelity, and trauma. It's a close encounter with human damage and nothing is off limits. The characters' flaws are glaring and their desperate attempts to cope feel all too real.
Raging feminism, bunk psychology, and bisexuality all mix with ennui, infatuation, and humor in Jen Beagin's newest novel, Big Swiss. It's a book you won't want to leave and one your mind will probably still be puzzling over long after you've finished reading it.
And just in case you haven't already heard, Big Swiss is already in development to become a show on HBO (and the book isn't even out yet)! You know the rule - the book is always better, so read it first!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, Cursing, and Stalking
Minor: Self harm, Blood, and Cancer
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