LoveReading Says
Greta lives in a small town in upstate New York working as a transcriptionist for a therapist. She is trying her best to get her life back on track when her plans are upended after she hears a voice of one of the therapy sessions she is transcribing. A voice, to be specific, of a woman she has nicknamed Big Swiss because she is stoic, originally from Switzerland, and, she imagines, tall. But when Greta meets Big Swiss at the local dog park, Greta panics and gives her a fake name. A friendship forms and their relationship blossoms, with Big Swiss (whose name is Flavia) unaware that Greta is privy to her secrets.
At times funny, at other times harrowing, Big Swiss by Jen Beagin is an unconventional love story between Greta and Flavia. But more than that, it also dives into the choppy waters of the lasting effects of trauma, mid-life crises, and how to live your life when your cold old house is infested with bees and barely habitable.
The novel is being developed into a television series by Jodie Cromer, who reportedly will play Big Swiss.
This is a quirky book, to be sure, but charm abounds in the supporting cast of characters—especially Greta’s housemate Sabine. The dialogue and therapy sessions especially had me laughing at loud, both for the wit and the absurdity of the situation. This novel is chaotic and comical, but also sad. Just like life.
Maureen Stapleton
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Big Swiss Synopsis
Greta liked knowing people's secrets. That wasn't a problem. Until she met Big Swiss.
Big Swiss. That's Greta's nickname for her - she is tall, and she is from Switzerland. Greta can see her now: dressed top to toe in white, that adorable gap between her two front teeth, her penetrating blue eyes. She's a head-turner: including the heads of infants and dogs.
Well that's how Greta imagines seeing her; they haven't actually ever met in person. Nor has Greta actually ever been to Switzerland.
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. . .
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9780571378555 |
| Publication date: |
18th May 2023 |
| Author: |
Jen Beagin |
| Publisher: |
Faber & Faber |
| Format: |
Hardback |
| Pagination: |
336 pages |
| Primary Genre |
General Fiction
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| Other Genres: |
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| Recommendations: |
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Jen Beagin Press Reviews
'Made me laugh and think too much (the right amount?) about sex and death and honesty.' MONICA HEISEY
'Utterly addictive. . . I laughed so hard it ached.' GILLIAN ANDERSON
'Juicy, salacious and compelling. Trauma shouldn't be this fun.' SARA PASCOE
'The word-of-mouth, cult read of the summer, Big Swiss is a startlingly unique novel. . . Smart and unusual, this is modern romance of the highest and most imaginative order.' ? Harper's Bazaar
'Hilarious and consistently surprising about trauma, sex and friendship, I took it with me on a solo holiday and finished it before leaving the house on the first day.' -- Megan Nolan ? Observer
The voice is sharp, the plot is compelling, the jokes are funny and sometimes startling, as the very best comedy is; it's easy to forgive the odd moments when two elements clash. . . Every page is packed with good jokes, keen observations and idiosyncratically wonderful prose. . . It made my brain do interesting, uncomfortable things and left me questioning my beliefs about attraction, grief, how recovery works, and a dozen other fundamental things. ? Guardian
Greta is a hot mess in the grand tradition that will be familiar to fans of cult television shows about reckless women with traumatic pasts such as Fleabag, I May Destroy You and anything starring Daisy May Cooper. . . a darkly off-kilter rom-com, Beagin is one to watch. ? The Times
Incredible book. . . I couldn't put it down. -- Jodie Comer
About Jen Beagin
Jen Beagin holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of California, Irvine, and has published stories in Juked and Faultline, among other journals and literary magazines. In 2017, she was awarded a prestigious Whiting Award for her debut novel Pretend I'm Dead. She lives in New York.
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