Emma Cline’s 'Switzy' Maps the Mind of a Dying Executive
The novel stretches a final three days into a fragmented exploration of memory, wealth, and assisted suicide.
By Elijah Fitzgerald ·
Emma Cline’s latest novel, 'Switzy,' confronts the collision between vast wealth and the erasure of self. The book was published on Sept. 8 and follows David, a corporate executive who has been dismissed from his high-powered position after receiving a diagnosis of dementia. Unlike the Hamptons setting of her previous work, 'The Guest,' this narrative takes place over three long, meditative days that serve as a precursor to David’s death.
The title refers to a term used by David’s business partner, Stearns, for expensive ski trips to Switzerland. In the story, the location takes on a darker meaning as the site of David’s assisted suicide. He views the procedure as shockingly cheap, noting the cost is only $13,000 relative to his lifetime earnings. The book reveals this dual meaning two-thirds of the way through, using the title to frame the dramatic irony of having money in the face of death.
Before traveling to Switzerland, David visits his daughter, Rebecca, and his grandson, Rainer, in London. These family members act as grounding points for the reader. They anchor the narrative as David’s memory lapses become frequent. Without these characters, the reader would be as scattered as the protagonist. The interactions are tense, reflecting the friction between David’s past rigidity and his current fragility.
Cline spends much of the novel in the space between conversations. David parses through thoughts about his surroundings and the memories they spark. This approach allows the reader to experience the unmoored perspective of someone with dementia. When David finally speaks to his family, his internal whirlwind of thoughts barely surfaces. This gap creates a sense of desperate frustration rather than simple pity.
David’s assistant, Cody, performs all fundamental tasks that David forgets. Cody reminds David who his daughter is and why they are going to Switzerland. The assistant also endures verbal abuse and points David to his notebook, which contains the answers to his questions. Through these interactions, it becomes clear that David is not a likable man, but his silent attempts to anchor himself in his lucid moments generate empathy.
The plot reveals a third side of David through Tom, his high school best friend and truest love. David has not spoken to Tom since a brutal prank in their freshman year of college. Tom serves as a final destination for David, offering a sense of completeness before his life ends. Their two-minute interaction near the end of the book vindicates the reader’s understanding that David’s bad behavior had consequences.
The novel does not force a clear narrative. Cline herds David’s thoughts like cats, moving from the present to memory to an earworm. Each page jumps to a new question or confusion, resolving in a demand for Cody. The structure allows the reader to assemble a portrait of a successful man through the memories he made with those he is leaving behind.
