What do you think?
Rate this book
Switzy
Not yet published
Expected 8 Sep 26A mesmerizing portrait of an aging man’s last pilgrimage, from the New York Times best selling author of The Girls and The Guest.
A private plane cuts through the winter night, somewhere over Greenland. David, a retired executive, sits back in his leather seat, playing solitaire on his phone. Click. Click. Drag. Click. The notebook in his jacket pocket is filled with familiar phrases, urgent reminders to himself, but he struggles to recognize his own handwriting.
A mystery, among many mysteries. The world, once so knowable, has been rendered inscrutable.
This is what David Cody, his assistant, asleep in the seat next to him, will shepherd him along the voyage. A stopover in London. Dinner with his adult daughter. A meeting in France with an old friend, estranged for decades.
His final destination is Zurich.
David glides through hotel rooms and airports and foreign cities, running out the clock on his mortal life. His grasp on the present slips away, and the past rushes the Sunday roasts of childhood. The stiff clothes meant only for church. A summer at a school friend’s house. The losses and missteps that punctuate a life.
As David’s arrival in Zurich looms, an exquisitely rendered portrait of an unraveling mind emerges, both darkly humorous and profoundly moving. Hypnotic and startlingly original, Switzy probes the depths of human consciousness, revealing what a man is left with when the accomplishments and compromises that have defined him, and the illusions he's relied on, vanish.
A private plane cuts through the winter night, somewhere over Greenland. David, a retired executive, sits back in his leather seat, playing solitaire on his phone. Click. Click. Drag. Click. The notebook in his jacket pocket is filled with familiar phrases, urgent reminders to himself, but he struggles to recognize his own handwriting.
A mystery, among many mysteries. The world, once so knowable, has been rendered inscrutable.
This is what David Cody, his assistant, asleep in the seat next to him, will shepherd him along the voyage. A stopover in London. Dinner with his adult daughter. A meeting in France with an old friend, estranged for decades.
His final destination is Zurich.
David glides through hotel rooms and airports and foreign cities, running out the clock on his mortal life. His grasp on the present slips away, and the past rushes the Sunday roasts of childhood. The stiff clothes meant only for church. A summer at a school friend’s house. The losses and missteps that punctuate a life.
As David’s arrival in Zurich looms, an exquisitely rendered portrait of an unraveling mind emerges, both darkly humorous and profoundly moving. Hypnotic and startlingly original, Switzy probes the depths of human consciousness, revealing what a man is left with when the accomplishments and compromises that have defined him, and the illusions he's relied on, vanish.
352 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication September 8, 2026
About the author
Emma Cline
19 books4,695 followersEmma Cline is an American writer and novelist, originally from California. She published her first novel, "The Girls", in 2016, to positive reviews. The book was shortlisted for the John Leonard Award from the National Book Critics Circle and the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize.
Her stories have been published in The New Yorker, Tin House, Granta and The Paris Review.
In 2017 Cline was named one of Granta's Best Young American Novelists.
Her stories have been published in The New Yorker, Tin House, Granta and The Paris Review.
In 2017 Cline was named one of Granta's Best Young American Novelists.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
Want to Read
May 1, 2026Emma Cline returning in 2026… oh it’s gonna be a good year... I rarely read about MEN, but I trust her wholeheartedly xx
Substack | Bookstagram | BookTok | BookTube | Bookshop.org Store | Libro.fm Bonus Offer
Substack | Bookstagram | BookTok | BookTube | Bookshop.org Store | Libro.fm Bonus Offer
May 4, 2026
literally scarier than most horror novels!!!!
everyone dreads getting old and the deterioration of our bodies and minds; here, Cline puts us into the mind of someone experiencing this in real time. the writing is chilling and really difficult to read at times because of how visceral it is - we as the reader follow along in David’s mind as he starts forgetting words, numbers, and the shame of needing assistance in everyday tasks. it’s a real gut punch of a book that puts a lot of things into perspective, and it’s not meant to be a very ‘enjoyable’ read, so make sure you’re in the mood for this type of story, but the writing is so impressively immersive that made me full of dread while reading. Yay!
everyone dreads getting old and the deterioration of our bodies and minds; here, Cline puts us into the mind of someone experiencing this in real time. the writing is chilling and really difficult to read at times because of how visceral it is - we as the reader follow along in David’s mind as he starts forgetting words, numbers, and the shame of needing assistance in everyday tasks. it’s a real gut punch of a book that puts a lot of things into perspective, and it’s not meant to be a very ‘enjoyable’ read, so make sure you’re in the mood for this type of story, but the writing is so impressively immersive that made me full of dread while reading. Yay!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
3.5. Only time will tell when it comes to this book—will I remember it next week? In two weeks? A year from now? (Not a reference to the dementia premise but damn if the instinct didn’t come so naturally!! . . .)
Like Katie Kitamura’s AUDITION, SWITZY is a concept novel, a capital-D Dementia Novel. Unlike AUDITION, its concept is a little more submerged. SWITZY is, to my relief, more interested in David-with-Dementia than Demented David. There’s a difference between the two, chiefly that the latter would probably encourage all sorts of formal innovation that doesn’t need to exist in most novels. (Not naming names.) Cline does attempt a little bit of formal wackiness—the paragraphs that whine and wind around lots of empty space—but over time they become hypnotic and worrisome. Am I David? Do I have dementia?
I say this with no trace of irony: I am genuinely not sure.
Cline is one of modern litfic’s greatest observers of people—see GIRLS, GUEST, and so on—but SWITZY often acts as a vehicle for loose remarks about humanity, rather than standing as a cohesive novel. We know David; we feel for David; we fear we may become David. But the idea that a rapidly declining David would be astute enough to gather dozens of piercing adages about people and places and love and loss—it feels far too constructed. SWITZY is at its best when it confronts the looseness of everything, the idea that people come and leave and do not forgive, and thankfully for all of us Clineheads, the novel is pugnacious; it does not fear such confrontation.
Like Katie Kitamura’s AUDITION, SWITZY is a concept novel, a capital-D Dementia Novel. Unlike AUDITION, its concept is a little more submerged. SWITZY is, to my relief, more interested in David-with-Dementia than Demented David. There’s a difference between the two, chiefly that the latter would probably encourage all sorts of formal innovation that doesn’t need to exist in most novels. (Not naming names.) Cline does attempt a little bit of formal wackiness—the paragraphs that whine and wind around lots of empty space—but over time they become hypnotic and worrisome. Am I David? Do I have dementia?
I say this with no trace of irony: I am genuinely not sure.
Cline is one of modern litfic’s greatest observers of people—see GIRLS, GUEST, and so on—but SWITZY often acts as a vehicle for loose remarks about humanity, rather than standing as a cohesive novel. We know David; we feel for David; we fear we may become David. But the idea that a rapidly declining David would be astute enough to gather dozens of piercing adages about people and places and love and loss—it feels far too constructed. SWITZY is at its best when it confronts the looseness of everything, the idea that people come and leave and do not forgive, and thankfully for all of us Clineheads, the novel is pugnacious; it does not fear such confrontation.
May 3, 2026
Switzy is a masterfully crafted and empathetic portrait of a man in the liminal space of his last days of life. This was a departure for Cline - I suspect there will be some fans of The Girls and the Guest who don’t like this one (where is the messy cool girl? Where is the hint of wish fulfillment? A longtime fan might ask these questions) but this is such a mature, poignant novel that had me holding my breath until its inevitable end, and I was thrilled to see Cline undertake such a story.
In lesser hands, David might have been reduced to a stereotype: the wealthy businessman who regrets not spending enough time with his family, but Cline has such a knack for rendering interior life, and this was her showcasing these talents to a new level. And while I personally love a novel in fragments (and envy the way she pulled it off), the narrative was strongest when showcasing David’s relationships to those around him: the gulf between him and his loved ones, the things left unsaid because of shame, dementia, or both, and the heartbreak of desiring connection but lacking the means to connect. I suspected while reading that my perception of the novel’s success would lie in if she landed the narrative plane, and I believe she did. The ending left me sitting still, contemplating the precariousness of a human life.
In lesser hands, David might have been reduced to a stereotype: the wealthy businessman who regrets not spending enough time with his family, but Cline has such a knack for rendering interior life, and this was her showcasing these talents to a new level. And while I personally love a novel in fragments (and envy the way she pulled it off), the narrative was strongest when showcasing David’s relationships to those around him: the gulf between him and his loved ones, the things left unsaid because of shame, dementia, or both, and the heartbreak of desiring connection but lacking the means to connect. I suspected while reading that my perception of the novel’s success would lie in if she landed the narrative plane, and I believe she did. The ending left me sitting still, contemplating the precariousness of a human life.
May 2, 2026
emma cline is an excellent writer but this was a tough read (complimentary?)
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Big thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A stark departure from what Cline is known for, Switzy brings us on a tumultuous, emotional journey following a man walking towards the end of his life willingly.
David is going to die soon, or at least he hopes he is. That's what he paid for after all. Embarking on his final journey to Switzerland, David will be engaging in medical assistance in death services after wrapping up a few loose ends. Once a powerful executive, he was asked to "part ways" from his former company after his diagnosis of rapid onset dementia rendered him unable to do his work effectively. No longer a husband, barely a father or grandfather, David only has his assistant Cody to keep him company, and to keep him to his itinerary. We join David in his final few days, a brief trip to London to see his daughter and his grandson, a short meeting with a childhood friend who he hasn't spoken to in decades, and then off to the void. Told from his perspective, we watch unflinchingly as he does everything he can to do and say the things he needs to say to the people he cares about while being unable to find just the right words. With Cody by his side, companion or jailer(depends on the day), David is gripped by the unknown, the left undone and unsaid, and the drive to try to correct what can still be corrected.
In my mind, Emma Cline has a very specific narrative style. In general, write about a girl in some level of mess. Messy life, messy decisions, complicated relationships with men, and have her directly face those consequences. So imagine my surprise when this book came across my lap. One following a man who is, yes grappling with a bit of his own mess, but having to face comparatively much heavier realities than the girls in Cline's previous works. I was afraid she couldn't pull it off, but boy did she.
The prose here is difficult. I wouldn't say it is exactly "authentically" written in a way that we might think someone suffering from dementia might write, but it is stilted and inaccessible enough that the intention of the style is made clear. We get to see David forget things in real time, things we know but he no longer does. And we also see him fail to recall information that we will never know. It can be frustrating and awkward and embarrassing, but that is the point.
David is not lovable, he is a complicated character, but you can't help but root for him, for the humanity that he no longer believes he has. And as the end of the book drew near, I couldn't help but have a rising panic, not ready to let this man let go of his life, a life that he may be ready to leave behind, but I wasn't.
This was really well done, and despite me liking Cline's previous works, I was still surprised with how much I enjoyed this.
A stark departure from what Cline is known for, Switzy brings us on a tumultuous, emotional journey following a man walking towards the end of his life willingly.
David is going to die soon, or at least he hopes he is. That's what he paid for after all. Embarking on his final journey to Switzerland, David will be engaging in medical assistance in death services after wrapping up a few loose ends. Once a powerful executive, he was asked to "part ways" from his former company after his diagnosis of rapid onset dementia rendered him unable to do his work effectively. No longer a husband, barely a father or grandfather, David only has his assistant Cody to keep him company, and to keep him to his itinerary. We join David in his final few days, a brief trip to London to see his daughter and his grandson, a short meeting with a childhood friend who he hasn't spoken to in decades, and then off to the void. Told from his perspective, we watch unflinchingly as he does everything he can to do and say the things he needs to say to the people he cares about while being unable to find just the right words. With Cody by his side, companion or jailer(depends on the day), David is gripped by the unknown, the left undone and unsaid, and the drive to try to correct what can still be corrected.
In my mind, Emma Cline has a very specific narrative style. In general, write about a girl in some level of mess. Messy life, messy decisions, complicated relationships with men, and have her directly face those consequences. So imagine my surprise when this book came across my lap. One following a man who is, yes grappling with a bit of his own mess, but having to face comparatively much heavier realities than the girls in Cline's previous works. I was afraid she couldn't pull it off, but boy did she.
The prose here is difficult. I wouldn't say it is exactly "authentically" written in a way that we might think someone suffering from dementia might write, but it is stilted and inaccessible enough that the intention of the style is made clear. We get to see David forget things in real time, things we know but he no longer does. And we also see him fail to recall information that we will never know. It can be frustrating and awkward and embarrassing, but that is the point.
David is not lovable, he is a complicated character, but you can't help but root for him, for the humanity that he no longer believes he has. And as the end of the book drew near, I couldn't help but have a rising panic, not ready to let this man let go of his life, a life that he may be ready to leave behind, but I wasn't.
This was really well done, and despite me liking Cline's previous works, I was still surprised with how much I enjoyed this.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I am a shameless Emma Cline fanatic. I read her amazing first book, "The Girls", and her follow up to that "The Guest", in one sitting binges. Her character work is astounding, and more importantly, it is incredibly consistent. Cline's protagonists are observers and misanthropes; plots happen in Cline novels, but the focus is on the voice. Always the voice.
When I randomly saw "Switzy" available on NetGalley, I rushed to snap it up. I read it over the course of a week and can say with assuredness that Cline has found her niche. "Daddy" features a slew of characters like the one here in "Switzy" - similarly, her magnificent short story, "Harvey", comes to mind. David Hastings is a man who has aged into his own irrelevance. Powerful-no-more. Rich, but vaguely so. Riddled with regret. In the thralls of something that makes him feel listless, uncontrolled nobody wearing someone else's life. As he ventures closer to his planned assisted death, he leaves sanity behind. He loses faculties, bodily control, memory, and eventually, the very components that make any person whole.
The issues for me with "Switzy" come from the very fact that the disease David Hastings is succumbing to make him a patchy narrator at best. Things happen TO David in "Switzy"; he is passive in the way Alex from "The Guest" was not, and lacks the balance that the narration in "The Girls" possessed. This device makes sense - and works at times - but I think Cline could've benefited from a more put-together David, possibly earlier in the diagnosis to account for more lucidity.
While I wasn't "Switzy"'s biggest fan, I am one of hers. It's hard to follow up a smash like "The Guest"; this is a solid entry, but her weakest yet. That doesn't mean it's not worth your time. Perhaps temper expectations - this is a slower, more wandering piece than her other work. Think "Eurotrash" meets "My Year of Rest and Relaxation" vibes of cool, distanced plotting.
When I randomly saw "Switzy" available on NetGalley, I rushed to snap it up. I read it over the course of a week and can say with assuredness that Cline has found her niche. "Daddy" features a slew of characters like the one here in "Switzy" - similarly, her magnificent short story, "Harvey", comes to mind. David Hastings is a man who has aged into his own irrelevance. Powerful-no-more. Rich, but vaguely so. Riddled with regret. In the thralls of something that makes him feel listless, uncontrolled nobody wearing someone else's life. As he ventures closer to his planned assisted death, he leaves sanity behind. He loses faculties, bodily control, memory, and eventually, the very components that make any person whole.
The issues for me with "Switzy" come from the very fact that the disease David Hastings is succumbing to make him a patchy narrator at best. Things happen TO David in "Switzy"; he is passive in the way Alex from "The Guest" was not, and lacks the balance that the narration in "The Girls" possessed. This device makes sense - and works at times - but I think Cline could've benefited from a more put-together David, possibly earlier in the diagnosis to account for more lucidity.
While I wasn't "Switzy"'s biggest fan, I am one of hers. It's hard to follow up a smash like "The Guest"; this is a solid entry, but her weakest yet. That doesn't mean it's not worth your time. Perhaps temper expectations - this is a slower, more wandering piece than her other work. Think "Eurotrash" meets "My Year of Rest and Relaxation" vibes of cool, distanced plotting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Reading this shortly after Vigil - George Saunders on a wealthy ruthless man at the end of his life - and Departure(s) - Julien Barnes on coming to the end of his own life - here is another end of life book, introducing David, a wealthy business executive who has been diagnosed with dementia and whose condition is advanced and irreversible.
David is confused, but also aware of his situation - 'When the day would come and he'd find that the content of his brain had been excised with an ice cream scooper instead of these dainty little teaspoons, here and there' - and has chosen to go to Zurich to end his life in the company of a young male companion whose task is to steer him through the journey.
THe narrative - and there is very little dialogue in this novel - is stacatto and the style is fast, breathless almost, David experiencing his journey - by private jet lent by a colleague; through London to visit his daugher, and the grandson he barely knows; to the hotel in Zurich; a side-trip to France to meet Tom, his dear friend of schooldays from whom he traumatically split, and from which split he has never recovered, a split which has haunted him for his whole life. As he experiences these events, through the haze of his dementia, David muses on where he has been, the ongoing blurry strangeness of his current dealings with the world, and where he is about to go.
This is a very real insight into the heart of dementia, and the sadness of a life that was financially successful but ends with a man entering his final moments without friends or family, assigned to the care of a patient employee.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC copy
David is confused, but also aware of his situation - 'When the day would come and he'd find that the content of his brain had been excised with an ice cream scooper instead of these dainty little teaspoons, here and there' - and has chosen to go to Zurich to end his life in the company of a young male companion whose task is to steer him through the journey.
THe narrative - and there is very little dialogue in this novel - is stacatto and the style is fast, breathless almost, David experiencing his journey - by private jet lent by a colleague; through London to visit his daugher, and the grandson he barely knows; to the hotel in Zurich; a side-trip to France to meet Tom, his dear friend of schooldays from whom he traumatically split, and from which split he has never recovered, a split which has haunted him for his whole life. As he experiences these events, through the haze of his dementia, David muses on where he has been, the ongoing blurry strangeness of his current dealings with the world, and where he is about to go.
This is a very real insight into the heart of dementia, and the sadness of a life that was financially successful but ends with a man entering his final moments without friends or family, assigned to the care of a patient employee.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC copy
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Switzy follows the mind of a elderly ex-executive as he, with his assistant, navigate his international trip to visit the important figures of his life before his final destination in Zurich. David Hastings is a man who was once important, had purpose and direction, and now feels as if he is fading out of both his own mind and from the world around him. As David wrestles through his current reality of patchy memory, listlessness, and swift unexplained changes in mood or train of thought, we as the reader ride these waves with him.
This is my first experience with Emma Cline and I found the narrative both meandering and engaging. David is an unreliable narrator and his condition renders him a passive participant in the events of his life. There were many points within the story that we will just not have the answer to as he, at this point in his life, has lost the memories and context that could explain.
I didn't find anything wrong with the novel and I enjoyed Cline's style and characterizations, however I don't think I got any message out of this that wasn't already something I identify with, nor did I get it in an innovative way so I don't feel too strongly about this book either way. I will definitely read Cline again and see if her other works resonate a bit more.
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Emma Cline for the advanced ebook copy
This is my first experience with Emma Cline and I found the narrative both meandering and engaging. David is an unreliable narrator and his condition renders him a passive participant in the events of his life. There were many points within the story that we will just not have the answer to as he, at this point in his life, has lost the memories and context that could explain.
I didn't find anything wrong with the novel and I enjoyed Cline's style and characterizations, however I don't think I got any message out of this that wasn't already something I identify with, nor did I get it in an innovative way so I don't feel too strongly about this book either way. I will definitely read Cline again and see if her other works resonate a bit more.
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Emma Cline for the advanced ebook copy
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I finished this yesterday and I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about it. The writing itself was undeniably brilliant — really sharp, deliberate prose that felt carefully crafted on every page. But as a reader, I struggled at times to connect with the protagonist: a wealthy older man living with dementia, whose world is slowly slipping away from him. I could admire the character work without ever fully relating to him.
The structure was also intentionally disjointed and vague, which obviously fits the themes of memory, confusion and decline, but I found it frustrating at points too. I kept wanting more clarity, especially about his relationship with Tom — whether it was friendship, love, regret, or all three tangled together. There was something deeply sad sitting underneath all of it that I wanted explored further.
The story follows his final journey by private plane to London to see his daughter, and then on to Switzerland where he has arranged to die. It’s uncomfortable, emotional and quietly bleak in places. Not a page-turner for me, and not a book I was desperate to pick back up each evening because of the heaviness of the subject matter, but I can absolutely appreciate the talent behind it and the amount of thought and artistry that went into it.
A difficult but interesting read.
Thanks Netgalley for the advanced copy.
The structure was also intentionally disjointed and vague, which obviously fits the themes of memory, confusion and decline, but I found it frustrating at points too. I kept wanting more clarity, especially about his relationship with Tom — whether it was friendship, love, regret, or all three tangled together. There was something deeply sad sitting underneath all of it that I wanted explored further.
The story follows his final journey by private plane to London to see his daughter, and then on to Switzerland where he has arranged to die. It’s uncomfortable, emotional and quietly bleak in places. Not a page-turner for me, and not a book I was desperate to pick back up each evening because of the heaviness of the subject matter, but I can absolutely appreciate the talent behind it and the amount of thought and artistry that went into it.
A difficult but interesting read.
Thanks Netgalley for the advanced copy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I loved this book, but that doesn't mean it's all fun. I've never read a book from this perspective before. The themes of life, loss, memory, autonomy, and aging were expertly explored and presented in a floaty, fragmented way that put us thoroughly into the shoes of the main character. Light in plot, and a bit of dragging in the middle, but some moments are so incredibly tense I could feel my heartbeat accelerating through my chest. The characters are perfectly realized, very realistic and behave in believable ways. I'm so thankful the author let us read between the lines and intuit thoughts and feelings of the supporting cast and trusted us to put things together without over-explaining. This is such a perfect example of "show don't tell". I really felt invested in these people. This story elicited a lot of self reflection as I would root for his demise, but then feel guilty about it, thinking about what a relief it would be to rid yourself of someone so troublesome, but at the same time valuing life. It's such a tricky topic to pick apart and this author presents it so perfectly. This story prompts similar discussions as Elena Knows, but I felt this story was much more complete. Absolutely recommended.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an eARC of this work.
I love Emma Cline's work, 'The Girls' was one of my favorite books of last year. When I heard she was coming out with a new book, I had to get my hands on a copy and see what it was about. Also, the cover design is fantastic.
Sadly, I don't know how to feel about this. While I can say with absolute certainty that Cline's writing shines as strongly in this as her previous works, there just seems to be something missing in this to make me like it more.
This reads more like a stream-of-consciousness of a man who is slowly recounting his life, readying for his inevitable death. Cline does a fantastic job of showing how the mind will jump from topic to topic, time to time, with little to no logic. However, that sort of treatment can only last for so long before I felt like I was wanting more. Maybe if it was shorter, I'd love this, but in its current state, I just can't wholeheartedly say I loved this.
I love Emma Cline's work, 'The Girls' was one of my favorite books of last year. When I heard she was coming out with a new book, I had to get my hands on a copy and see what it was about. Also, the cover design is fantastic.
Sadly, I don't know how to feel about this. While I can say with absolute certainty that Cline's writing shines as strongly in this as her previous works, there just seems to be something missing in this to make me like it more.
This reads more like a stream-of-consciousness of a man who is slowly recounting his life, readying for his inevitable death. Cline does a fantastic job of showing how the mind will jump from topic to topic, time to time, with little to no logic. However, that sort of treatment can only last for so long before I felt like I was wanting more. Maybe if it was shorter, I'd love this, but in its current state, I just can't wholeheartedly say I loved this.
May 8, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of Switzy. This is my first Emma Cline book, although I have one of hers on my TBR shelf. Switzy takes us into the mind of David, a former high-powered executive now living with dementia who has chosen to end his life. The interaction with his daughter is especially devastating; he couldn’t break his conventions and tell her how he feels, that just isn’t how he acts, so it couldn’t be done.
We feel his decline in real time and are living it with him, like we’re inside his brain. It’s scary.
I do wonder why she chose to write about a man like David when we don’t get to know much about his interior life before the disease. But it was a terrifying and sobering look at the end of life and this respectable way to end things.
We feel his decline in real time and are living it with him, like we’re inside his brain. It’s scary.
I do wonder why she chose to write about a man like David when we don’t get to know much about his interior life before the disease. But it was a terrifying and sobering look at the end of life and this respectable way to end things.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley.
Switzy is short for Switzerland, the destination of David Hastings’ end of life journey. David is a retired executive, no longer important to anybody, ready to check out on life. Accompanied by a young male assistant, he flies to London to make a last visit with his daughter. Then he goes to Switzerland to visit a boyhood friend and then to apparently put an end to his life.
This is written primarily as a stream of consciousness, thoughts going through David’s mind regarding the past and present. Many of these thoughts seemed irrelevant and uninteresting, seemingly filler. On the other hand, as a person in a similar state in life, many of his thought were relatable. I stayed with this book, wondering how it would conclude. Would David follow through on his plan and off himself?
Switzy is short for Switzerland, the destination of David Hastings’ end of life journey. David is a retired executive, no longer important to anybody, ready to check out on life. Accompanied by a young male assistant, he flies to London to make a last visit with his daughter. Then he goes to Switzerland to visit a boyhood friend and then to apparently put an end to his life.
This is written primarily as a stream of consciousness, thoughts going through David’s mind regarding the past and present. Many of these thoughts seemed irrelevant and uninteresting, seemingly filler. On the other hand, as a person in a similar state in life, many of his thought were relatable. I stayed with this book, wondering how it would conclude. Would David follow through on his plan and off himself?
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I’m not even sure how to respond to the assignment of reviewing this book. It was … good enough? I would love to know why the notorious Emma Cline, with her near legendary ability to get people talking and writing about her work, made this her third novel. It’s gonna get the same outsize responses as her other two novels, yes. Surely she knows this. So a book about a dying elderly white male capitalist? I wish I could see this book outside the discourse but I can’t. It’s Emma Cline! I am interested to see the reviews, although at this point there are only 4 legacy media reviewers left. I really do love Emma Cline, and recommend using her family’s Cline Zinfandel to make mulled wine. Yes, she’s that Cline.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the ebook. David, a retired executive, is on a private plane with his assistant Cody. He resents Cody because David has dementia and relies on Cody to keep him on track. David wants to visit his daughter in London and an old school friend he feels he wronged in France and then on to Zurich to end his days. Just a heartbreaking novel where David knows he needs to say goodbye to these people, but his thoughts jumble and escape him and the meetings are more elliptical than satisfying. The book does such a fascinating job with showing a sharp mind that can so easily forget what happened an hour ago. A great portrait of a difficult man.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Poignant and bittersweet. We follow David through his last few days, as he heads to an assisted dying facility in Zurich. Over the course of these days, he meets with his daughter and grandson, as well as a former friend from childhood, whilst reflecting on the events of his life.
As the novel progresses, the author skilfully captures the fragmented and confused way his thoughts overlap and drift in an out of awareness, and I feel like it gives a really moving depiction of Alzheimer’s.
I had tears in my eyes for the last 50 pages of the book. It was so sad, and so completely gripping. Who are we really? Our actions, our memories, our regrets?
As the novel progresses, the author skilfully captures the fragmented and confused way his thoughts overlap and drift in an out of awareness, and I feel like it gives a really moving depiction of Alzheimer’s.
I had tears in my eyes for the last 50 pages of the book. It was so sad, and so completely gripping. Who are we really? Our actions, our memories, our regrets?
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Emma Cline's writing is very different from many authors. I do really enjoy that about her books. This one felt a little hard to get into. I don't say this often, but I think for a book like this, being slightly shorter would have done it justice. I could not keep my attention on the plot for all 350 pages. Emma Cline does characters extremely well. As always, that was a hit in this. It was very reflective, so if you are into that I think you would like this!
Thank you NetGalley, Random House, & Emma Cline for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Switzy is released on September 8, 2026!
Thank you NetGalley, Random House, & Emma Cline for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Switzy is released on September 8, 2026!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I really struggled with this one. Cline is a gifted writer and this book is full of beautiful prose. Those beautiful sentences just didn't come together as an engaging narrative for me. I imagine if you liked The Guest, you might be more inclined to like this novel. I think vibes based fiction is just not for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Want to Read
March 27, 2026e-arc received
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
thank you to netgalley & random house for the e-arc
uhh this was hard to get through
uhh this was hard to get through
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Emma Cline has outdone herself! This book is haunting, something Cline does well, but this protagonist is entirely new from her.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews