Emma Cline's 'Switzy' centers a $13,000 assisted suicide in a dementia narrative
The new novel follows a dismissed corporate executive through three meditative days as he loses his memory and prepares for death in Switzerland.
By Giulia Donovan ·
Emma Cline’s latest novel, Switzy, released on Sept. 8, tracks the final days of David, a corporate executive who has been diagnosed with dementia. The story focuses on the financial and personal logistics of his decline, specifically his plan to end his life in Switzerland for a cost he deems shockingly cheap at $13,000. This price point serves as a central metric for the character’s wealth and the irony of his situation, a fact revealed two-thirds into the book.
Cline previously explored wealth in The Guest, which was set in the Hamptons. That novel followed Alex, a charismatic escort who exploited the emotional cracks in wealthy families. With Switzy, the author shifts perspective to the interior life of a man from that same elite circle. The new book examines how the value of wealth holds up against the loss of memory and the approach of death.
The narrative structure stretches a moment of pre-death clarity into three long, meditative days. David does not scramble to organize his life. Instead, he watches his own confusion with curiosity, using solitaire to manage the chaos. The plot is simple, which allows the author to focus on the space between conversations. David parses his physical surroundings and the memories they trigger, revealing what shaped his character.
A timeline of events structures the journey. Before reaching Switzerland, David visits his daughter, Rebecca, and his grandson, Rainer, in London. He then travels to Switzerland to see Tom, his high school best friend, before heading to the assisted suicide facility. These characters act as grounding points for the reader, anchoring the narrative amidst David’s scattered thoughts.
David’s assistant, Cody, performs all fundamental tasks that the executive forgets. Cody reminds David who his daughter is and why they are traveling to Switzerland. The role includes enduring verbal abuse and blame from David. Cody also directs David to his notebook, the place where he stores answers to his questions. Through interactions with Cody, the reader learns that David is not a kind person, yet Cline builds an understanding of his silent attempts to anchor himself in lucid moments.
The title Switzy refers to a casual term used by David’s financier, Stearns, for expensive ski trips to Switzerland. In the novel, it takes on a second meaning as the location of David’s assisted suicide. The term functions as a metonymy for the upper-class tradition of wealth and the dramatic irony of having money in the face of death.
Cline introduces Tom as David’s other half and truest love. They have not spoken since their freshman year of college, when Tom was brutally pranked. Tom serves as a beacon of light for David, helping him feel complete before his life ends. Their interaction near the end of the book is a painfully awkward two-minute conversation. This moment vindicates the reader’s knowledge that David’s terrible behavior had consequences.
David’s grandson, Rainer, offers a window into the executive’s childhood. The scene in Rebecca’s house is tense as Rainer forces his way in. In Rainer’s room, David regresses into a younger version of himself. He shirks the unpleasant adult lessons he learned in the corporate world. This regression highlights the cost of growing up under rigid parental expectations, a theme Cline explores by blurring the lines between parenthood and childhood.
The novel avoids a clear narrative arc. Each chapter’s anecdotes and key phrases build on one another, creating a quick read. David’s thoughts jump from the present to a memory to an earworm, each spawning new questions and confusion. These moments always resolve in a demand for Cody. The portrait of a successful man is revealed through the memories he made with the people he is leaving behind.
