A woman in upstate New York who works transcribing therapy sessions for a sex coach becomes infatuated with one of his clients, a repressed married woman from Switzerland who has a refreshing attitude towards trauma.
Have you ever been to Hudson, NY? How would you describe it? Similar or different from the author?
What does the beehive inside the house represent? Is there a metaphor buried there? (maggots at the heart of the hive)
In the beginning of the book we learn that Greta was diagnosed with Emotional Attachment Disorder by a therapist. (a behavioral disorder that effects the ability to form and maintain relationships.) In what ways does this manifest in her relationship with Big Swiss?
When speaking with OM about her trauma Big Swiss says on page 8 "I'm not attached to my suffering. I'm not attached to what happened to me. I don't believe it explains everything about me, because I haven't made it part of my identity. I'm a worker, not a wallflower. I would never call myself a "survivor" I'm just -not one of those trauma people." Is trauma something you think a person can ever get over? Does making trauma part of your identity hold you back or fuel you?
On page 79 Big Swiss says she accepts some responsibility for her attack because she went to his house on his own volition and ignored her instincts. Does society condition victims to think they were players in their own trauma? What are your thoughts on this?
On p. 247 Greta mentions Big Swiss might have something to teach her about living. To "eradicate self-pity and replace it with something productive." How do you think one can actually accomplish that?
Did you find OM an effective therapist?
Big Swiss was not able to orgasm for her whole life until the mid-point of the book. She describes masturbating to images of flowers. Is this just a metaphor or do you think there is something deeper there?
What do you think drew Big Swiss to Greta?
Throughout their affair what traits or behaviors do Greta and Big Swiss bring out in each other?
Was Greta obscuring her true identity from Big Swiss an ethical violation? How would you have handled it if you were Greta?
On page 216 at the dinner party with Luke Big Swiss says that the Swiss "like to keep each other in check. Americans could never handle that, because they're such infants, and so easily rattled. They can't ride the train without getting their feelings hurt. They can't walk down the street without being offended." Do you think this is true of Americans? If so why is that?
There are times that Greta seems to be hostile or antagonizing to Big Swiss. Where does that behavior come from? P. 232 Big Swiss tells her her tough girl routine is transparent.
What did you think of the ending?
