--- description: Find out why "Big Swiss" by Jen Beagin is on TIME's list of the must-read books of the year. title: 'Big Swiss' Is One of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2023 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8e88b002503b22e4/698a41feb21a9cb83e507c23/BigSwiss.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Nov 14, 2023 # Big Swiss by Jen Beagin by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  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](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9781982153083 "undefined") | [Amazon ](https://amzn.to/47j8Jn1 "undefined") --- **Looking for more book recommendations? Sign up for** [**_Worth Your Time_**](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/signup?nln=worth-your-time "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332144/big-swiss/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332144/big-swiss/"},"headline":"Big Swiss","datePublished":"2023-11-14T12:30:40.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:25:04.369Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332144/big-swiss/","keywords":["Books","list","best books"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8e88b002503b22e4/698a41feb21a9cb83e507c23/BigSwiss.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8e88b002503b22e4/698a41feb21a9cb83e507c23/BigSwiss.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332144/big-swiss/","name":"Big Swiss"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"TIME's 100 Must-Read Books of 2023","description":"","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/WppeqCEz/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2023-11-13T19:20:52.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/WppeqCEz.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332144/big-swiss/","duration":"PT1M28S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332144/big-swiss/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```