Swapna Bakshi-Highsmith: The Boss Who Pushed Poppy to Her Breaking Point and Beyond

Overview

Swapna Bakshi-Highsmith is the editor-in-chief of Rest + Relaxation (R+R) magazine, a high-end travel publication. She is Poppy Wright’s boss during Poppy’s years as a travel writer, and later becomes a catalyst for Poppy’s emotional reckoning. Swapna embodies the tension between professional success and personal fulfillment—her own relentless drive mirrors the perfectionism that eventually burns Poppy out. Though she appears only in a few key scenes, her influence ripples through Poppy’s entire arc, from creative stagnation to therapy and finally to a new career path.

Plot Role

Swapna serves as both antagonist and mentor. In Chapter 1, she presides over a Friday pitch meeting where she demands “inspired” ideas and dismisses safe suggestions (Santorini, Amsterdam) as too trendy. Poppy, suffering from creative block, offers only the word “Brazil” and a half‑hearted pitch for St. Petersburg, which Swapna rejects. This scene establishes the immediate conflict: Poppy’s job requires constant inspiration, yet she feels hollow. Later, in Chapter 34 (set between the Croatia trip and the final trip), Swapna notices Poppy’s burnout and—in a pivotal moment—recommends therapy by handing her a business card for Dr. Sandra Krohn (Rachel’s mother). This recommendation directly leads to Poppy’s therapeutic journey and eventual decision to leave travel writing. In the Epilogue, Swapna appears one last time: she hugs Poppy upon learning she’s quitting and sends a congratulatory bottle of champagne with a note acknowledging that Poppy was always “going places.” Swapna thus bookends Poppy’s professional life—first as a gatekeeper of inspiration, then as a supporter of Poppy’s self‑discovery.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Swapna is defined by an obsessive quest for originality. She believes that to be on trend is to be already late to that trend; she maintains a literal “List of Places R+R Will Not Cover” on the office wall, updating it by hand. Her winged eyeliner and studded pumps are described as “sharp and pointed and smart,” and she hasn’t rested properly in years—even during doctor‑mandated bed rest she video‑chatted with the office. These details paint a picture of a perfectionist who values freshness over comfort and who demands the same of her writers. Yet her recommendation of therapy reveals a compassionate, perceptive side. She doesn’t scold or fire Poppy; instead she listens to Poppy’s admission of burnout and quietly offers a solution. Swapna’s final gesture—the champagne and note—confirms that her tough love was always rooted in genuine belief in Poppy’s talent.

Chronological Arc

Chapter 1 (This Summer): Swapna runs the pitch meeting where Poppy fails to produce a compelling idea. She rejects Garrett’s Santorini pitch and calls Amsterdam “trendy.” Poppy leaves the meeting feeling uninspired.
Between Chapter 1 and the Midpoint: Swapna appears off‑page during Poppy’s growing despair. The reader infers she continues to assign Poppy work while Poppy drifts.
Chapter 34: In a one‑on‑one walk to a coffee shop, Poppy tells Swapna she has “professional burnout.” Swapna smiles and says it passes, then hands her the card for Dr. Krohn, suggesting she speak with someone.
Epilogue: After Poppy quits, Swapna hugs her (described as feeling like “being hugged by Beyoncé”) and sends a bottle of champagne with a congratulatory note for Poppy’s new column, People You Meet in New York.

This arc moves Swapna from a feared authority figure to a source of unexpected support, underscoring the novel’s theme that people rarely are one‑dimensional.

Relationships

With Poppy: The primary relationship is professional, but it deepens over time. Initially Poppy feels intimidated—Swapna’s gaze “could crush” a person. Yet Poppy also respects her; she once relished pitching dozens of excited ideas to Swapna. When Poppy falls into a rut, Swapna doesn’t punish her but instead offers a lifeline. Their final interaction is warm and mutual.

With Colleagues (Garrett, etc.): Swapna is legendary for her List and her quick wit. Garrett once wore a beret after Paris was removed from the List, and Swapna teased him with “Au revoir, Garrett,” causing his face to turn beet purple. This shows she can be playful but also cutting—a boss who inspires both fear and affection.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Rejecting Poppy’s non‑pitch: By not forcing Poppy to choose a destination, Swapna allows Poppy to avoid confronting her unhappiness—at least temporarily. This prolongs Poppy’s creative drought but also sets the stage for Poppy’s eventual crisis.
Recommending therapy: Swapna breaks from the typical boss role by addressing Poppy’s mental health. This decision directly initiates Poppy’s therapy sessions with Dr. Krohn, which lead to Poppy’s self‑reflection, reconciliation with her past, and decision to quit travel writing in favor of a human‑interest column.
Celebrating Poppy’s departure: By hugging Poppy and sending champagne, Swapna validates Poppy’s choice and reinforces that her support was never conditional on Poppy staying in the job. This act gives Poppy emotional closure and underscores the novel’s message that growth sometimes means leaving a good job behind.

Theme/Symbol Connections

Fear of Vulnerability: Swapna rarely shows vulnerability herself—her armor of sharp clothes and sharp words protects her. Yet her gentle gesture toward Poppy (the therapy card) reveals that vulnerability can be offered in small, quiet ways by someone who seems invulnerable.
Personal Growth and Change: Swapna embodies the tension between staying in a successful role and growing beyond it. She herself stays at R+R, but she helps Poppy grow out of it. Her final note—“I’ve always known you were going places”—suggests she views Poppy’s departure not as a failure but as the next destination.
Home and Belonging: For Poppy, home becomes about people rather than places. Swapna’s champagne gift signifies that Poppy has found a new home (her column, her life with Alex) and that Swapna approves.
Memory and Nostalgia: Swapna’s disdain for “trendy” places ties into the novel’s exploration of how we idealize past trips. She demands the inspired, which Poppy once had in abundance but lost when she stopped feeling the thrill of possibility.

Five Book‑Specific Questions and Answers

Why does Swapna reject Santorini even though it’s a beautiful, classic destination?
She believes a magazine feature must feel inspired, not merely pleasant. Santorini, like many popular spots, has already been covered extensively; Swapna wants a pitch that surprises the reader and captures a unique angle. In her view, being on trend is already being behind the trend.
What prompts Swapna to recommend therapy to Poppy?
During a one‑on‑one walk, Poppy admits she has “professional burnout.” Instead of pushing her to work harder, Swapna listens and then gives her the business card for Dr. Sandra Krohn, saying it helps to speak with someone. This moment shows that Swapna recognizes Poppy’s distress isn’t simply a lack of ideas—it’s a deeper personal crisis.
How does Swapna change from the beginning of the novel to the epilogue?
She softens. In the opening chapters she is intimidating, controlling, and quick to dismiss ideas. By the epilogue she hugs Poppy and celebrates her new column, demonstrating that her fierce standards were always paired with genuine care for her writers’ well‑being.
Does Swapna ever travel for pleasure, or is she always working?
Evidence suggests she rarely rests. The narrator notes that the last time Swapna rested was during doctor‑mandated bed rest three years prior, and even then she continued to video‑chat with the office. Her personal life remains off‑page, but her character implies that she has sacrificed leisure for career success—a contrast to Poppy’s eventual choice to prioritize happiness over professional achievement.
What is the significance of Swapna’s note with the champagne: “I’ve always known you were going places”?
The phrase echoes the novel’s central theme of travel as both literal and metaphorical journey. Poppy was going places as a travel writer, but Swapna recognizes that Poppy’s true destination is a life where she feels at home—in her work, in her relationships, and in herself. The note validates Poppy’s growth and confirms their relationship as a mentorship rather than mere employment.

Conclusion

Swapna Bakshi-Highsmith may occupy only a handful of scenes, but her impact on Poppy’s trajectory is immense. She represents the professional world that Poppy both craved and outgrew, and her evolution from feared editor to compassionate supporter mirrors the novel’s argument that people—and the roles they play in our lives—are rarely simple. By pushing Poppy toward therapy and then celebrating her departure, Swapna becomes an unexpected architect of Poppy’s happiness. In the end, she is not just the boss who demanded inspiration but the one who helped Poppy find a more lasting kind: the inspiration to build a life she didn’t need to escape.