Updated November 2, 2026 · reading data through September 2026
Switzy
by Emma Cline
A retired executive travels by private plane and across foreign cities toward Zurich while his memory and sense of the present fade. Past moments return as his unraveling mind is portrayed with dark humor and feeling.
Best for: Readers drawn to darkly funny, moving portraits of memory, aging and a fading mind
Switzy is #24 on BookWard's Rising chart for November 2026: the hottest new books published in the past two years.
What Switzy is about
David Hastings is a wealthy former CFO who lost his job over memory problems. His illness is never named, but he knows he is slipping, and he has decided to travel to Zurich to end his life by voluntary euthanasia. Before that, he flies to London with his assistant Cody, whom he depends on and suspects of stealing. He visits his daughter Rebecca and her family, who know nothing of his plans, and then goes to France to find an old school friend, Tom, hoping for forgiveness for joining in bullying him as a teenager.
His notebook is full of reminders, though he struggles to recognize his own handwriting. Emma Cline's novel, longlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize, is described by its publisher as an exquisitely rendered portrait of an unraveling mind that is both darkly humorous and profoundly moving. It suits readers who like thoughtful fiction about memory, guilt and the weight of the past.
Why Switzy is on the Rising chart
Its Wikipedia page had 3,588 views last month, up 100% on the two months before. The Rising score blends six public signals, each scored from 0 to 100 against the other new books and weighted as shown.
| Signal | This book | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reader pace | 4 | 28% |
| Buzz | 41 | 24% |
| Growth | 100 | 18% |
| Being read right now | 43 | 12% |
| Reader love | 41 | 10% |
| Newness | 100 | 8% |
Rising Wikipedia attention is up 25% or more on the two months before.
The numbers behind it
- Wikipedia: 3,588 page views last month, against an average of 0 in the two months before (up 100%). Read the article.
- Open Library readers: 0 want to read, 0 reading now, 0 have read it.
Switzy on the Rising chart: history
First on the chart this month. The history grows with every monthly update.
| Month | Rank | Score |
|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | #24 | 46 |
Questions about Switzy
Is Switzy a new book?
Yes. Switzy by Emma Cline was first published in 2026, and BookWard's Rising chart only includes books published in the past two years.
Why is Switzy on the Rising chart?
Its Wikipedia page had 3,588 views last month, up 100% on the two months before.
More new books readers are finding
- Life of M Rachel Cusk
- The Things We Never Say Elizabeth Strout
- Dream Count Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- John of John Douglas Stuart
Prefer proven favorites? See the Top 100, or all Rising books.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views. The description is paraphrased from real source text (Open Library or Wikipedia). A book is on the Rising chart only if it was published in 2025 or 2026 and its readers are active and its interest is not falling. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales. Read the full methodology.
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