Growing up, Margo’s neighbor had a tire swing that Margo envied. When she sees the house’s backyard, she notes with awe the presence of a tire swing hanging from its large tree. The swing seems to Margo a sign that she and Ian were destined to buy the house and raise a family there. The tire swing is a complex, fraught symbol to Margo. Much of the symbolism in this novel is tied to The Myth of the Picture-Perfect Family, and the tire swing is no exception. Although Margo is strong, driven, and ambitious, she remains scarred by her dysfunctional childhood.

The tire swing represents the pain of this childhood to Margo and symbolizes everything that her childhood lacked. Margo’s neighbor not only had a tire swing; she had two caring parents. They loved her, spent time with her, and prioritized her needs. Margo recalls her neighbor’s mother waiting for her after school with snacks and a smile and remembers her own parents too embroiled in their difficulties to notice Margo much of the time. When Margo sees the tire swing in Curtis and Jack’s backyard, she is flooded with unhappy memories but feels an even stronger desire to purchase the house: Buying Curtis and Jack’s house and raising a family in it represents a way for Margo to undo her parents’ emotional damage and re-write the story of her childhood. It represents a fresh start and the chance to give her own child the love and kindness that she didn’t have when she was a young girl. The tragic undertone of this symbol lies in the fact that what Margo really craves most is emotional validation and support, but she instead believes her inner void can be filled just by owning the right home.