Big Swiss by Jen Beagin - spoilers ahead
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
3/5 stars
Well, what a strange book. I will say, I quite enjoyed the absurdity of Jen Beagin's writing. It felt thought out, yet still a direct stream of consciousness. What a character, Greta is—in two uses of the word; the main character and a character that who is quite unusual. She is so unpredictable, which you do learn to expect, but it never loses its charm. The way she experiences the world is fascinating, yet a bit disturbed, which I think made the book enjoyable to read. I liked how the therapy sessions were realistic, in a sense, which could have easily not been the case. I did not care for Greta and Falvia's relationship. Their dynamic and obsession with each other did not make sense to me. I wouldn't have cared if their plot line was less integral to the overall plot. The plot line of Keith and Flavia did not feel resolved at all by the end. I think it could have been more interesting if the author had spent more time neatly wrapping it up with a resolution that felt satisfying. The whole Keith and Luke debacle felt like a copout. I love Sabine and Greta's friendship, and Greta and Piñon's relationship. Those were the only two in the entire book that made sense to me.
I gave this book 3 stars. I knew throughout the whole read that it would not get 4 stars, no matter how it ended.
Here are my final thoughts summed up:
- decently average book
- will not read again
- would recommend to others if they were looking for a fast, unserious read
Goodreads listed genres: Fiction, Contemporary, LGBT, Queer, Literary Fiction, Romance, Lesbian, Adult, Adult Fiction