Switzy by Emma Cline

Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026--San Antonio

Switzy by Emma Cline is longlisted for the Booker Prize.  I have now read 60% of the books on that list, and it is likely that this will also continue onto the shortlist for the prize and will likely be among the top shortlist contenders for winning the prize.  Even if you start the novel without knowing what it is about, you will realize it quickly.  A man and his young assistant are on a plane from the US to Europe.  The hints begin immediately.  A stop to see his daughter in London--a daughter/father relationship that has been distant since he divorced his wife when she was a young girl.  A final stop in Switzerland with a side trip to see his estranged boarding school friend.  The private plane for the trip has been loaned to him by his former boss and close friend.  He was previously demoted from his position as CFO at work in spite of this friendship because he had lost his formerly exceptional ability to maintain the financial records properly.  He has a leather notebook where he writes things to help him remember them.  So what reason does he have to go to Switzerland while seeing those particular two people?  It is a book that is beautifully written and an extraordinary achievement in providing a picture of the workings of the mind of a man who can't remember the specific word but realizes he has a physical problem related to "Amy Lloyd."  The first half of the book slowly (it sometimes feels a bit too slow) builds the background history for the trip.  The last half, when everyone reading will knows for sure the answer to the question about why the trip is being made, carries the reader through the visits with the daughter and the estranged friend before finally taking us on the ride to the industrial park for the end of the novel.  I gave the book 4 1/2 stars out of 5 and found myself crying at the end.