Reviews with content warning for Biphobia - Big Swiss

I can't say I would have read this if it wasn't offered as an ALC from Libro.fm. Honestly, this is one of the most visually off-putting covers I have ever seen (personally...I know it's all a matter of opinion). And it does really match the off-putting-ness of the topics, so there's that. But as I was carrying my physical copy out of the library (you know I like having both), I got three separate comments from people either wanting to read it or having really enjoyed her prior books or being struck by the cover. So maybe this book is a bigger deal than I thought! Haha.

Greta has just moved in with her friend, Sabine, who owns a decrepit old farmhouse in rural New York. There's no heat, and there's a beehive in the house with them, but Greta is having enough of a struggle with her life that really, she's making it work. Her days are spent transcribing the sessions of a local sex therapist and with her dog. She's mostly just coasting, until she first hears the voice of a new patient she nicknames Big Swiss, and her obsession with this stoic and sexually repressed married woman begins to form. Both Big Swiss and Greta have some truly dark and traumatic events in their pasts, but while Big Swiss holds everything at arms length to cope, Greta sort of enjoys dwelling and holding on to her own. When they meet in real life (and Greta lies about her identity), they quickly become deeply intertwined, emotionally and physically. But the unreality of the situation has to break, at some point, and with a complicated situation like this one, it's unlikely to go easily.

What a weird freaking story. Like, not weird in the fantasy/sci-fi tentacles and what-happens-in-the-dark sort of way, but weird in the profoundly uncomfortable and ridiculous sort of way. One of the first little notes I made was actually "what a strange book." There is some really unique and insightful human observational content mixed with myriad uncomfortable topics within a deeply discomfiting framework. The dark quotidian humor, delivered with incredibly precise language, feels like it can only have come from someone who has direct knowledge of this specific lifestyle. So, whether Hudson, NY or old farmhouses or "retired to the country to pursue off the wall hobbies" is something Beagin has been around a lot or not, the writing makes it seem that she has, and that's impressive. It felt super tangible and with a well-appointed eye for the absurd.

The whole “I know all your secrets and hidden truths, but you don’t know me at all nor know that I know” that Greta has going on was itchy-in-my-skin levels of uncomfortable for me. Side note here: I did love the nicknames Greta gave people she doesn’t know personally to delineate them. Anyways, I was essentially dread-anticipating what would happen when she’s found out until it happened, so that honestly it did feel a bit anticlimactic at that point (but I know for sure that's a "me" issue). While I found Greta’s voyeurism of Big Swiss’ therapy sessions so fascinating conceptually - to be able to hear someone’s unfettered thoughts about you, confession style, but also without shame because of the confidentiality of the setting...it mesmerized me - I was also terrified by the thought of being on either end of that in real life. The way it’s written, with Greta’s own interjections, made for a really nice structure and reading experience that toned down the discomfort marginally. And it added in some of the dark humor that every other review I've seen has centrally mentioned. The entirety of the affair between Greta and Big Swiss (their interactions both in solitude and in public), as well as Greta's living situation, had the exact same mix of discomfort and dark humor. Overall, Beagin nailed the literary vibes she was going for. They were consistent and strong and (imo) took what My Year of Rest and Relaxation did to a whole new level.

Quick content warning for violence/physical assault, suicide and suicidal indeation and attempts, and animal injury.

The story itself wrapped up about as well as it could have, considering the relational and personal issues central to the plot and the characterizations. I honestly don’t mind an open ended finish, since that’s pretty realistic here, but just, I’m not sure how I feel about this closing, when all is said and done. And in general, although I think I have used all these words enough times already that my opinion about this book has been quite established, this was a ridiculous, uncomfortable, anxiety-ridden reading experience, with really meticulous, high quality writing. It absolutely will not be for everyone, may not actually have been for me, but I really respect what Beagin created here.

“Because, well, the pain is rarely in the actual words, which nine times out of ten are imprecise, or the wrong words altogether. People are almost never articulate about their pain, as I'm sure you've noticed. Their pain can only really be felt in the pauses…”

“…but maybe one was never too old for a little behavioral modification.”

Content Warnings

savvylit's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

First of all, sorry to the Big Swiss fans out here but this book was just okay for me. Let me talk about what I liked: this book is often quite funny. I really appreciated each absurd detail - especially those about Greta & Sabine and their crumbling house full of bees. Additionally, everything about Om and his clientele is also incredibly funny. The fire breathing, the gong... Beagin has created an excellent satire of a specific brand of neohippy and the people that they attract.

What I didn't like is a little more complex. So: Greta is an unreliable and unlikeable messy narrator. Historically, I've been a fan of books with messy female protagonists. However, some of the language that Greta uses is pointlessly offensive. Within the first twenty pages, Greta makes an offhand comment where she says that the bees are "Japanesey." Later in the book, she says the r-slur as an insult. Even later, she refers to her face while crying as Chinese. All offhanded. Bi-erasure is also threaded throughout Big Swiss, unexamined. The central relationship in this book is wlw. Greta has recently broken up with a man and Flavia is currently married to a man. And yet, when Greta realizes how attached she is to Flavia and their relationship, she is determined to label herself and Flavia as gay. Even as Flavia disagrees with that choice.

Ultimately, I generally enjoy books with messy and complicated characters. However, I take issue with the use of hateful language to frame the unlikeability of a narrator. It was jarring to encounter in the text, especially when written in such a casual way. I believe that Greta could have been just as unlikeable without any of the offensive statements. @janandthings has a recent post on her profile where she puts it even better than I could: "when hateful commentary or behavior goes unchecked, that is not satire, that's hate speech."

Content Warnings