A Compelling and Enjoyable Read

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If you’re alone and it’s after dark, I dare you to listen to the Audible sample for The Swap by Nancy Boyarsky, but first you may want to make sure you locked all your doors, and all windows are secured. I probably listen to hundreds of Audible samples every month, and this one really stood out to me. 

Boyarsky has the ability to capture the enormity of a marriage coming apart, defined by subtle but powerful moments when a husband telegraphs utter disrespect and disdain that catapults a wife’s panic as she senses something is wrong, her husband doesn’t love her any more, and how desperately she seeks to fix it. Such moments may be as small as a fleeting scowl of impatience, the way he walks ahead of her like an angry father whose child struggles to keep up with with his impossibly long strides, and an unmistakable sense of isolation from his repeated absences. The author paints just such a powerful, relatable picture in only a few well placed sentences. Ray Bradbury studied Eudora Welty for her "remarkable ability to give you atmosphere, character, and motion in a single line,” and Boyarsky seems to share that gift. 

As the story opens, Nicole is about to accompany husband Brad on a business trip to England, much to his consternation. She believes his increasing business trips, and perhaps other things, are taking a toll on their closeness. Once their plane lands readers get a sense of foreboding as their accommodations are disappointing. An encounter with a man casing their property sets the trajectory for a series of events and discoveries that feels as though Nicole has fallen down Alice’s proverbial rabbit hole, but Nicole’s destination is far from a wonderland, as she unravels facts about the people they temporarily swapped homes with, the man casing her home and asking questions, her husband’s activities, the unusual tenant in their home, and a complex but very gripping narrative ensues. 

Nicole is smart and courageous as she insists on following clues and evidence to whatever answers may lie ahead, and whatever their cost may be. She’s no shrinking violet, and thankfully has a head for quick analysis and logistics, as her very life repeatedly depends upon it. This is a compelling and enjoyable read! 

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