Big Swiss – Jen Beagin

Expectation: A quirky comedy about voyeurism and self-discovery.

Reality: The epitome of dark comedy, the back half is chock full of sex, lies and violence, which makes it sound a lot more intriguing than it ultimately was. 

My Take:

“Big Swiss” has the kind of bonkers premise — a sex therapist’s transcriptionist falls in love with an anonymous client’s voice and trauma — that will either alienate or intrigue readers. 

I’m a fan of authors that swing for the fences, so this quirky dark comedy was one of my most anticipated 2023 reads. Therefore, it pains me to say that Jen Beagin ultimately did not deliver. 

The first half was near perfection. Beagin puts our protagonist Greta, an aimless 40-something with a tragic past, into the hyper realistic hamlet of Hudson, New York, populated by a slew of colorful characters and outlandish situations. 

There are truly dark moments — assault, suicide and overdoses — paired with the absurd — co-existing with a bee hive and a preternatural astute dog — that created a rhythm of literary imbalance that was both charming and propulsive.

Greta’s backstory, introducing the denizens of Hudson — including sex therapist Om and Greta’s best friend and roommate, Sabine — and listening to the first several sessions with Flavia (affectionately referred to as Big Swiss by Greta) were frequently laugh out loud funny and charming in a cringey sort of way.

Yet, after Greta has one instance after another of meeting one of Om’s clients in real life and spilling information she shouldn’t know, the lines of the remaining plot are firmly drawn. It became clear where this story was going to go — although I didn’t expect it to include so much sex (bonus points for bisexual representation).

The problems with “Big Swiss” started when the story should’ve taken off — the fated meeting of Greta and Flavia. I didn’t buy for one minute the mutual instant connection nor how it would blossom into an all-encompassing affair. There’s so much story packed into the back half of the novel it could fill two television seasons (not surprisingly, this has already been optioned). 

A lack of focus was only one issue. The other being that once the story solely shifted from innocent voyeurism and self-discovery to duplicity and adultery, I lost all interest. I struggle to cheer for characters that are willingly destroying the lives of people around them. 

Yes, I gave “The Rachel Incident” a glowing review, and that novel also focused heavily on adultery and duplicity, but at the core it was a relationship about Rachel, James and their radical transparency with one another. In “Big Swiss” we have characters lying to each other until the bitter end – and with terrible consequences. 

[spoiler alert - stop reading if you haven’t read the novel]

I also struggled with the ending, and the idea that all of Greta’s issues stemmed from unresolved trauma from her mother’s suicide around the time her burgeoning same sex attraction became apparent. It’s a tenuous connection that felt rooted in queer shame versus reclamation. 

Of course, I could be over analyzing. I spent a half hour researching metaphors of the various animals and insects mentioned (honey bees, stink bugs, vultures and dogs) searching for meaning in a story that Beagin maybe just didn’t know how to end. 

All that to say, I left “Big Swiss” intrigued but glad it was over.

[spoilers ended]

Even as the novel started to feel long, the fantastic audiobook narration kept me going. I was enthralled by the full cast of performers, including Rebecca Lowman as Greta, Carlotta Brentan as Flavia, Stephen Graybill as Om and Joy Osmanski and Matt Pittenger as various patients. 

I loved how the production incorporated each of the narrators into the chapters where Greta transcribed various sessions. It felt like a theatrical performance as the narrators played off one another, which helped round out a few characterizations that felt two-dimensional. 

Lowman and Brentan were the stars, playing it seriously even through all the ridiculousness. I was truly affected as each of them provided a voice to the traumas presented and appreciated the dynamic the two created with one another. 

However, Graybill’s aloof Om was pitch perfect and provided much needed levity to balance out the more sober moments. If you’re going to tackle this novel, do yourself a favor and get the audiobook.

Thanks to Libro.fm, Simon & Schuster Audio and the author for a gifted copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review. 

Rating (story): 3/5 stars

Rating (narration): 5/5 stars

Format: Audiobook (personal library)

Dates read: August 27 – September 2, 2023

Multi-tasking: Good to go. However, to really appreciate the subtle humor in the first half of Beagin’s novel, I’d only participate in easy activities, like walking and biking.