by Charlie Fabre
I was kindly gifted an advance copy of Jen Beagin’s upcoming novel Big Swiss and I devoured it in one weekend! Here are my thoughts on Beagin’s funny and quirky world.
Big Swiss follows Greta, an audio transcriber for a sex therapist in the USA. She becomes enthralled with one particular patient, Flavia, who Greta nicknames Big Swiss, and upon a chance meeting at the dog park, things unravel from there.
Greta is an unreliable narrator, though to me that wasn’t clear until the end. I started the book trusting Greta’s point of view, her feelings, her version of events. She was an older woman, she was pretty honest about the odd state of her life, she was humorous about it and I trusted her. But as the story goes on and the themes become clearer and clearer, I’m not sure I trust Greta anymore.
Big Swiss is such a hilarious read and it’s so entertaining – I haven’t been this passionate about reading a book in a while, and when I say I devoured it, I really did! Greta is an eccentric, that much is clear, and the situations she finds herself in are relentless. Paralleled by Flavia’s almost stoic demeanour (which is also extremely comedic at points) the pair make for a very funny duo.
I’m only checking to see if I exist. I feel like a patch of moving fog most of the time. When I look in the mirror, I’m always startled to see a head and limbs.”
Big Swiss, Jen Beagin
With its cast of strange characters, I’m not sure what I know anymore, where I’ve been mislead. Perhaps I haven’t and the version of events Greta tells is all true! It is clear, though, that Greta has issues, which become more and more transparent as the story goes on.
I think Jen Beagin does an amazing job at telling a story about trauma. That’s the main theme. Greta’s job is to transcribe stories of trauma for the therapist, Om, that she works for. Flavia has a horrific story of her own, as does Greta’s roommate, and as does Greta herself.
There’s this underlying critique though of the ‘trauma narrative’, as I’ve called it, throughout. Beagin discusses how some people use their trauma as a blanket or a shield: they never work to surpass it, they grow comfortable with it, they use it as an excuse, etc. She also discusses the idea of heroism and bravery at points and the resentment of that.
A brilliant scene in which Flavia and Greta argue because of each other’s behaviors highlights that point perfectly. One uses trauma as an excuse, another has discarded their trauma like it means nothing and feels virtuous because of this act.
I think Big Swiss offers a very nuanced and layered discussion on trauma and narcissim, how we justify or allow certain actions to pass and treatments to happen. It’s really so well done, and what I enjoyed most about the book.
The truth was, Greta only felt ‘normal’ for one week out of every month. But sometimes she wondered if it was the only week in which she wasn’t herself, if the other weeks were the real thing, the real her.”
Big Swiss, Jen Beagin
And did I mention that it’s funny? It’s SO funny! Beagin’s writing is so sharp and witty and that’s part of why I just couldn’t put the book down. The story is actually quite absurd but I was just so absorbed in it – this hasn’t happened in a while.
Big Swiss will be published by Faber on the 18th of May in the UK so grab yourself a copy ASAP because it’s truly a piece of magic and gold!
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