This was a different genre of book than what I normally read but I enjoyed it and would recommend it if you are looking for something different than your usual read!

Jen Beagin's Big Swiss treads a fine line between serious themes and comedy, quirkiness and emotionally truth ... and just about pulls it off. I loved its originality.

This was so engaging and different and unexpected. Character and theme over plot but I appreciated everything.

I also bought the audio and it’s one of the best.

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.

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.

If you are - like me - into fiction about messy messy MESSY women, this book is 100% for you. If you're into messy messy MESSY women who are also queer, then what are you waiting for, just get the damn book right now!

I honestly spent a good portion of the novel thinking 'what the heck am I reading here???' and loving every second of it. Every. Single. Second.

I am taking off one star because the end left me a little disappointed.

I gave up on Big Swiss about 30% in. I felt like it was too determinedly quirky and and I didn’t really care about anyone. But then I kept thinking about it, so I picked it up again….

Once Greta met Big Swiss I was much more invested and raced through the rest of the book, but it mostly left me cold. Yes, the characters and settings were vivid and original and it made me laugh a few times, but I’m not sure what the point of any of it was.

I really struggled to connect with the main character, and had a dislike for other characters that she interacted with but overall enjoyed reading this book and I found the plot really interesting and different too.

What a bizarre book. Greta lives in a falling-down farmhouse with small-time drug dealer Sabine and a huge hive of bees. She works as a transcriptionist for a sex therapist self-named Om. Greta is sworn to secrecy over the material that provides deeply personal insights into the lives of Om’s clients, people Greta can often identify during chance interactions. She nicknames one new patient Big Swiss and quickly becomes entranced by the other woman who has suffered a horrific act of sexual violence but remains stoic and refuses to engage with her pain, a practice which she sees as victimising and self-indulgent. When they meet by chance in a dog park their lives become enmeshed but Big Swiss has no idea what Greta knows about her and it becomes increasingly difficult for Greta to keep the truth hidden.

For such a fun book there is a considerable amount of trauma in the narrative (or perhaps it should be that for the amount of trauma in the narrative, this book is surprisingly fun), Greta is haunted by her mother’s suicide and her own rootlessness, Flavia (Big Swiss) is dealing with the consequences of a terrible assault, Sabine struggles with addiction. And yet it is fresh, it is funny and it is compelling. Dark without being weighty. Sometimes the quirkiness is a little much, as if every detail has to be in technicolour and glittered with oddness, it’s a difficult balance to pull off considering the subject-matter and occasionally Beagin falters but is always rescued by her wit and talented writing. Overall it works and is certainly one of the most memorable books I’ve read this year.

I just didn't love this as much as I hoped to, and I think maybe it just suffered from the buildup of hype? I'll go back to it, because I think it was definitely a case of me, not the book!

I don’t think there’s a person I’ve spoken to since I finished reading this book who I haven’t recommended it to. Just brilliant: simultaneously ludicrous and entirely credible and character driven, and really funny. Loved it.

This book was surprisingly gripping and well paced, which you don’t often find with literary fiction. Also genuinely very funny and enjoyable.

Big Swiss is a resounding success of a book. Original and full of dark humour, the novel asks how many lies ... and how much truth ... a relationship can survive.

Greta and Big Swiss are not in the same room, or even the same building. Greta is miles away, sitting at a desk in her own house, wearing only headphones, fingerless gloves, a kimono, and legwarmers, transcribing this disembodied voice. What Greta doesn't know is that she's about to bump into Big Swiss in the local dog park. A new - and not entirely honest - relationship is going to be born. A relationship that will transform both of their lives.

Both a love story and a deft examination of infidelity, mental health, sexual stereotypes, and more—from an amazingly talented, singular voice in contemporary fiction.’

This was our bookclub pick for June and it was absolutely fascinating getting everyone’s take on this quirky little book.

Idiosyncratic and unorthodox, the narrative treads its own unique path. It won’t be for everyone, but I suspect it will have a band of loyal fans that connect to the eccentricities of this novel and will be charmed by its whimsical, off the wall humour.

I particularly loved the madcap capers of Piñon the dog. He reminded me of that other beloved canine character Six-Thirty in the fabulous Lessons in Chemistry.

And can I just gush for a moment about how gorgeous this cover art is by the uber talented @kishanrajanidesign?! I fell hard for its bold beautiful splashy style.

This book is a wild ride through an odd cast of characters- our protagonist Greta is a transcriber, writing up a series of interviews between a therapist and his patient. However, upon accidentally meeting the patient, the titular Big Swiss, in person, the book unfolds into a messy ethical dilemma.

The book approaches narrative in a fascinating way, with Greta's responses as she listens to the transcript meaning that we have her live thoughts to something that has already happened, but which will affect her next meeting with Big Swiss. As a result, the book becomes a comical, if ultimately tragic, oncoming train wreck that you cannot look away from.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

TW; Physical assault, suicidal ideation and mention / discussion around suicide, mentions of anorexia / ED,

* thank you so much to Faber for an e-ARC of this via NetGalley.

Big Swiss is one of the most curious and unique books I’ve read in a long old time, and I enjoyed it a lot for the most part - though I do have some serious hesitations which I’ll expand on later.

In Big Swiss, whilst following Greta (a transcriptionist for a new-wave sex therapist in New York, who calls himself Om), we listen as Greta transcribes hour after hour of Om’s client sessions, and as she comes to know the subjects within them, if only by their voices (and interpersonal relationship struggles…). However, when Big Swiss (nicknamed so by Greta due to her height and Swiss accent), a married gynaecologist begins having sessions with Om, Greta becomes quickly infatuated with her. Well, with her voice, her life - just the very idea of her…. and then, she recognises her voice at the dog park one day.

After introducing herself via fake name and fabricated job history, Greta befriends Big Swiss and soon falls into a strange and feverish affair with her.

We all know by now that I love a messy, queer novel - and it was really refreshing to find a book that features an older LGBT protaganist and sapphic romance (Greta is 45) , and there were some interesting deep dives into power dynamics and the prevalence of trauma (particularly childhood) in our adult lives and the extent to which it shapes our personalities, decision making and the relationships we seek out for ourselves.

However, I must also mention that I would agree with much of the online criticism I’ve seen around characters making problematic comments and racially charged microaggressions on multiple occasions throughout this book. I hope that the intention behind these remarks was to reinforce Greta’s flaws and dislikable traits, for me this wasn’t made clear enough to not to feel uncomfortable in a way that goes beyond satirical disdain / secondhand cringing on behalf of a character, and slipping into gratuitously insensitive comments that seem largely unchallenged. It feels very easy to me to make a character unlikable in a plethora of ways that don’t involve poking fun at marginalised communities - and in this instance it didn’t feel like they were integral to any plot line or character development arc.

Big Swiss was such fun! The writing was so witty, fresh and full of dark humour. What was interesting to me was there were parts where I thought “woah that’s uncomfortable” 😳😅 and then the narrative would evolve into a thoughtful and honest discussion around trauma, relationships and sex. The bold characters made this a wild ride. Big Swiss was so memorable and Greta was definitely a character I wanted to shake, yet couldn’t dislike her 😂 I’m looking forward to the TV adaptation.

Definitely read the trigger warnings before reading this book. I enjoyed this book, but didn’t feel it was anymore than 3.5 stars for me. It took me a while to read and I found myself a bit bored at places.

This novel is about a transcriptionist, Greta, who transcribes for a sex therapist. She falls in love with one of the therapists clients whilst listening to her sessions, Big Swiss. Greta lies to her about her identity for a while and keeps transcribing her therapy sessions, until they all find out what she’s doing.

I liked the characters but felt that Greta and Big Swiss had no chemistry at all. I did laugh out loud a few times in the first half, but the second half felt slower and I found myself just wanting to end it quickly. An intense, bizarre read that was also addicting to read at the same time.

If you’re into novels about female protagonists who struggle with life, dark themes and also weird storylines then this story is for you!

This is a FANTASTICALLY unique novel, perfect for the weird / bad / mad girl trend of the moment. Think Boy Parts, Tell Me I'm Worthless, a tiny bit of Convenience Store Woman - if you like stories that go deep into a flawed character's mind, you'll really enjoy this one. It has queer romance, odd behaviour, gripping descriptions and such a strong, strange premise (but in the best possible way). A narrative on trauma, therapy, love, and honesty.

I want to thank @netgalley and @faberbooks for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to read this one after seeing so much hype all over bookstagram. The premise excited me a lot. The protagonist Greta works transcribing sessions for a sex therapist in her small town and thus gets to listen in on all these juicy conversations of people she sees around.

The book focuses a lot on trauma, both the way we carry our own and the way we perceive others’, and how it shapes our lives. I always enjoy this as a theme in a novel, but do think it could have gone deeper. I also enjoyed the queerness, especially with Greta at age 45 being older than is typically found in popular queer fiction.

It was a wacky read but it just didn’t have the real biting humour of other books I’ve read in a similar vein. I think I struggled to connect to the characters as well. It’s so strongly character driven that most of the book felt like no plot, just vibes.

Throughout the book there were a few casual racist comments said by Greta. I’m not sure if the author put these in to further portray her as an unlikeable character, but I absolutely could not look past the fact that they were not questioned or challenged at all. I also think it’s not very hard to create an unlikable character without resorting to blatant racism. There was other unnecessarily provocative language used around anorexia and sexuality that made me feel uneasy too.

I know that this is being turned into a TV series with Jodie Comer as Flavia/Big Swiss, which I am excited for. Though this is purely because I adore her and will watch anything that she is in - and I think this is incredible casting. I hope that they remove the racist language completely - and if so, then I am sure the series will achieve the rare task of being better than the book.

Strangely compelling, for a cast of characters that are some what unlikeable and annoying. I couldn't get enough of Greta & Big Swiss and devoured it in one whole weekend, squeezing in chapters anywhere I could. Om even grew on me by the end of the book!

It is quirky, and dark humored but Jen Beagin keeps it pacey even though it focuses on a lot of traumatic experiences. I can't wait to discuss with friends once they have read!

I saw so much hype for Big Swiss long before I could get my hands on it and I am so happy it lived up to expectations. Big Swiss was so original (I truly haven't read anything like it!) and darkly funny, while also exploring trauma in a way that doesn't feel tacky.
The characters are the drivers of this story, and I enjoyed learning more about the pair and how their experiences fed each others development. Beagin created a really atmospheric piece that was incredibly engaging and hard to put down.