This reading group guide for THE SWAP includes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book

Introduction

Low Morrison is not your average teen. You could blame her hippie parents or her looming height or her dreary, isolated hometown on an island in the Pacific Northwest. But whatever the reason, Low just doesn’t fit in—and neither does Freya, an ethereal beauty and once-famous social media influencer who now owns the local pottery studio.

After signing up for a class, Low quickly falls under Freya’s spell. And Freya, buoyed by Low’s adoration, is compelled to share her darkest secrets and deepest desires. Finally, both feel a sense of belonging . . . that is, until Jamie walks through the studio door. Desperate for a baby, she and her husband have moved to the island hoping that the healthy environment will result in a pregnancy. Freya and Jamie become fast friends, as do their husbands, leaving Low alone once again.

Then one night, after a boozy dinner party, Freya suggests swapping partners. It should have been a harmless fling between consenting adults, one night of debauchery that they would put behind them, but instead, it upends their lives. And provides Low the perfect opportunity to unleash her growing resentment.

Robyn Harding brings her acclaimed storytelling, lauded as “fast-paced, thrilling, gut-wrenching” by Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six, to this dark and suspenseful thriller for fans of Megan Miranda and Lisa Jewell.

Topics and Questions for Discussion

1. When Low is first introduced to readers in chapter 1, what do we learn about her as a character through how she describes her classmates and her first impression of Freya?

2. In chapter 1, Low sees Freya for the first time in her school, posting an ad for pottery classes. Later on, Freya tells Low she posted it to earn money, but her home and lifestyle don’t indicate she’s financially unstable. Did Freya have other motives for posting the ad for pottery classes and, if so, what were they?

3. The book consistently juxtaposes obsession and jealousy with freedom and sharing. Discuss the idea of monogamy versus polyamory. Are people inherently one or the other? Do these concepts exist in black and white, or is there a grey area in between?

4. How does Low’s own perception of herself differ from how Jamie and Max describe her when they first meet?

5. At various points in the story, Max, Jamie, and Brian all allude to Freya’s persuasiveness and charm and how they were all ultimately deceived by her into thinking everything was going to be alright (end of chapters 18, 15, and 5). Could this mean Freya was a sociopath?

6. In chapter 8, Low describes the meaning of her full name—Swallow, a highly adaptable, small bird—and the shame it caused her growing up. Freya is the name of a Norse goddess who is accused of infidelity and who incidentally is pictured with birds of prey. How do these names represent the evolution of these two characters throughout the book?

7. In chapter 39, Brian says to Jamie, “You’re the one trying to hang onto a sick, toxic friendship . . .” with Freya. This is the first time a character in the book explicitly names the nature of Freya’s relationships with others. Discuss why you think this revelation came from Brian.

8. In chapter 66, Thompson says of Low’s relationship to Freya, “You worship her and adore her and do everything for her. But she doesn’t care about you at all. That’s not love, Low. That’s obsession.” Does Thompson’s relationship with Low mirror her relationship with Freya?

9. In chapter 49, Brian asks, “Had Freya wanted to get pregnant . . . this pregnancy had reignited her Instagram career.” Do you think that Freya was trying to get pregnant or that it was unplanned, as she claimed?

10. Do you think that Brian and Jamie would have “swapped” with Freya and Max if they weren’t under the influence of drugs?

11. Discuss why Low became so attached to Maggie that she was able to overcome her obsession with Freya, even momentarily, to save the baby’s life.

12. In chapter 65, after Low’s parents called CPS on Freya, Low explodes at them. “I’m what matters! Me!’ I shrieked, ‘You never cared about me! You’ve never put me first!’” Discuss how Low’s upbringing affected her relationship with the other adult women in the book (Jamie and Freya).

13. In chapter 68, Low only turned on Freya when she heard Maggie’s cry and realized Freya was going to kill her own baby. Where did the mothering instinct come from? Did she kill Freya because she knew she could never have her to herself or because she was trying to protect Maggie?

14. Discuss the relationship between couples Jamie and Brian and Freya and Max. Are the dynamics in one better than the other, or do both exhibit unhealthy ones? Did Max and Freya influence Brian and Jamie?

15. Low describes Freya and Max’s relationship as, “locked in some kind of sick, codependent partnership full of lies and abuse and emotional distance, and yet . . . they had each other’s backs.” Do you agree with that assessment?

Enhance Your Book Club

1. Max and Freya’s life is turned upside down when Max inadvertently kills another hockey player during a game. Discuss how you would deal with this kind of life-altering event. How would it affect your relationship to the loved one responsible?

2. Throughout the book, each character exhibits pathological behavior. Do you think mental illness played a role in the story? If and when you’ve experienced similar behavior in real life, has mental illness played a role? Does it make any of the characters more sympathetic when looking at their choices and actions through the lens of mental illness?

3. Low’s attachment to baby Maggie was the catalyst to finally break Freya’s psychological hold on her. Do you believe in the power of a mothering instinct that strong? Have you ever experienced that in your own life?

4. Low discusses her ambiguous sexuality throughout the book. When she talks about her relationship with her childhood friend Topaz and, later, Freya, she says multiple times that she isn’t attracted to them “in that way.” But at the end of chapter 38, Freya kisses Low and she feels her first pull of attraction. Did this sexual awakening impact Low’s obsession with Freya? Do you think the book would have ended so violently if Low’s feelings for Freya had remained platonic?

5. Are any of the characters unreliable narrators? Did you see examples in the book where they gave conflicting opinions or hypocritical advice to others?