Sex and the city
New Zealand Listener|July 15 - 21 2023
This libidinous frolic wittily explores the foibles of the pretentiously unaware.
CHERYL PEARL SUCHER
Sex and the city

BIG SWISS, by Jen Beagin (Faber, $36.99)

It's the end of June in New York City and rainbow Pride flags, celebrating LGBTQI month, are whipping wildly from fire-escape balconies, celebrating the metropolitan freedoms of sexual and identity fluidity. Jen Beagin's hilarious third novel, Big Swiss, embraces this flourishing queer self-determination. A sapphic romp and a satirical examination of urban expatriates living between their dreams and reality, Big Swiss presents a cast of characters who have flown the expense and crowds of Manhattan for the bucolic renaissance of Hudson, a little city set on the east bank of the Hudson River with its own scrappy history of reinvention.

Hudson is as old as the United States, a Revolutionary War hub of maritime commerce. However, in 1850, the construction of a railroad from Albany to  New York City made the harbour obsolete and the city languished, only to redefine itself as an industrial centre with bustling ironworks, brickworks, factories and massive cement plants.

This story is from the July 15 - 21 2023 edition of New Zealand Listener.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the July 15 - 21 2023 edition of New Zealand Listener.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM NEW ZEALAND LISTENERView All
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 mins  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024