Big Swiss
Ratings92
Average rating3.6
"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..."--Provided by publisher.
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This is a weird one- which is of course, the point. This is absurdist realism- messy female protagonists behaving in strange ways and existing in bizarre situations. I did not love this book as so many else have. I liked certain parts of it. Big segments are therapy notes and I found that writing to be crisp and funny and excellent. I did not care about the main character even though I could tell she was living out a flawed existence due to deeply repressed trauma. Part of the dark comedy of this book is that she works in the wellness culture field and yet is emotionally unwell. Her internal monologues were bizarre and even gross at some times, also often insensitive. She was rather a sad, even pathetic character. Overall, none of the characters here act in normal, expected ways and several don't seem particularly sane. If you like absurdist realities, give this one a go. The writing is strong, I just didn't love the story.
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