Set in the boho-chic town of Hudson, N.Y., Jen Beagin’s laughter-inducing Big Swiss centers on a sex therapist’s transcriptionist, a 45-year-old California transplant named Greta. The novel follows the adrift Greta as she begins to fantasize about a 28-year-old patient who she lovingly names Big Swiss—ostensibly because she’s from Switzerland and, well, she’s tall. As Greta works her way through transcribing Big Swiss’s sessions with the therapist, she learns that her crush, whose real name is Flavia, was brutally assaulted years ago and the attacker has recently been released from prison. Also, Flavia has never had an orgasm. Enamored with the idea of the woman on the tapes, Greta finally meets her in a dog park, and a torrid affair ensues. Sexy and darkly funny, at its core this novel turns preconceived notions about mental health, obsession, and trauma upside down. —Rachel Sonis
Buy Now: Big Swiss on Bookshop | Amazon
Looking for more book recommendations? Sign up for Worth Your Time
- What Student Photojournalists Saw at the Campus Protests
- How Far Trump Would Go
- Why Maternity Care Is Underpaid
- Saving Seconds Is Better Than Hours
- Why Your Breakfast Should Start with a Vegetable
- Welcome to the Golden Age of Ryan Gosling
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
