I’m certain I won’t read another book this year as quirky as Big Swiss.
The title refers to the nickname that our main protagonist Greta gives to the voice in the therapy sessions she is transcribing. Greta works for a sex therapist named Om in Hudson, New York (where everyone knows each other) transcribing his patient sessions. When Greta bumps into Big Swiss (real name Flavia) in person at the local dog park, hijinks ensue.
This book is extremely funny, poignant, WILD and very witty. I switched between the audiobook and ebook, and thought that the audio narration was outstanding. There is a full cast of characters that make the dialogue really pop!
I loved the author’s acerbic writing style. She reminds me of Melissa Broder, whose books ‘The Pisces’ and ‘Milk Fed’ are as quirky and funny as this one. Mixed in with all the comedy here are serious issues such as processing trauma and mental health. Highly recommend!!
AND, the incomparable Jodie Comer will be playing Flavia in the HBO version. Perfect casting!
Thanks to @scribnerbooks and @simonaudio for the early copies via NetGalley and @libro.fm. All opinions are my own.
About the Book:
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. Although Big Swiss is unaware of Greta’s true identity, Greta has never been more herself with anyone. Her attraction to Big Swiss overrides her guilt, and she’ll do anything to sustain the relationship…
