Reviews tagging 'Lesbophobia'

Big Swiss by Jen Beagin

7 reviews

minimimi's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Trigger warning: discussion of suicide, domestic violence, stalking, and graphic violence *does not take place in real time, only recalled*

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Medical content, Drug use, Stalking, Blood, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Grief, Gun violence, Mental illness, Cursing, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, and Animal cruelty

isaarusilor's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Lesbophobia

lauracollins096's review

dark emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Suicide, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Violence

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Grief, Biphobia, Lesbophobia, Death of parent, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Stalking, Addiction, and Blood

Minor: Miscarriage, Eating disorder, Excrement, Racial slurs, and Religious bigotry

just_one_more_paige's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

 

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.” 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Cursing, Grief, Sexual content, Mental illness, Drug use, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Medical content

Minor: Lesbophobia, Sexism, Addiction, and Biphobia

vellumveela's review against another edition

dark funny lighthearted reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The narrator is excellently written and funny as hell. While this book didn't knock my socks off, the premise, the cast of characters, Greta's way of going about her life -- it's all so charming, dark, and engaging -- this book has quickly become one of my favorites, and will probably be one of the "comfort books". One potential reason why I love it so much might be because I had it audiobook format, and the cast of readers did an amazing job.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Outing, Infidelity, Violence, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Stalking, Blood, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Lesbophobia

abisnail564's review against another edition

dark emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death, Death of parent, and Violence

Moderate: Drug use, Animal death, Mental illness, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Miscarriage and Lesbophobia

toffishay's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I found this book engaging, but in a strange way, it also didn't really jump out to me. A lot of it washed over me. Greta is an interesting, conflicting character and the relationship at the center was so strange, that I had to keep reading. But it was also gone from me once I set the book down. I could see other folks really connecting with this though. I think if you really liked My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh, then you would really like this one too. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Toxic friendship, Blood, Infidelity, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Stalking

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Death, Sexual content, Death of parent, Suicide, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Sexism, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Hate crime, Grief, Excrement, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide attempt, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Addiction, and Classism