Big Swiss

Name: Big Swiss
Author: Jen Beagin
ISBN: 9781982153083

by Jen Beagin

"Greta lives with her friend Sabine in an ancient Dutch farmhouse in Hudson, New York. The house, built in 1737, 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, since she's tall, stoic, and originally from Switzerland. Greta is fascinated by Big Swiss's refreshing attitude toward trauma. They both have dark histories, but Big Swiss chooses to remain unattached to her suffering while Greta continues to be tortured by her past. One day, Greta recognizes Big Swiss's voice at the dog park. In a panic, she introduces herself with a fake name and they quickly become enmeshed.…

Recommended by

NPR Books We Love

"A hilarious, dark and quirky coming-of-middle-age story starring Greta, a 45-year-old aspiring writer drifting in upstate New York. She transcribes sex therapy sessions for the local amateur therapist – and starts a life-changing affair with one of his clients, a woman she calls “Big Swiss.” Jen Beagin’s third novel is strictly fiction, though it borrows details from her life. It started a bidding war in Hollywood before it was even released, and an HBO series starring Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) is in the works."

NPR Books We Love — 2023 · apps.npr.org

Jenny Slate Lifeform

"Jen Beagin's "Big Swiss" (other reactions as well, let's get real, it does it all!)."

By the Book: Jenny Slate Lifeform · nytimes.com