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A gorgeous memoir about the sudden end to a seemingly happy marriage-an aching, love-filled, and transcendent account of surviving betrayal and discovering joy
"A powerful testament to reclaiming voice, power, and joy." - Adrienne Brodeur, New York Times bestselling author of Wild Game
On a chilly day in early spring, Belle Burden's husband of twenty years announced, with no prior warning, that he was leaving her. Belle was shocked; he had always been a committed partner and a devoted father to their three children. She thought they were in love. She thought he-they-were living the life they'd always wanted: professional success, summers at their beloved beachside home, a vibrant social life. But overnight, her caring, steady husband became a man she hardly recognized. He exited his life with her like an actor shrugging off a costume.
In Strangers, Belle revisits her marriage, searching for clues that her husband was not who she always thought he was. As she examines her relationship through a new lens, she reckons with her own family history and the lessons she intuited about how a woman is expected to behave in the face of betrayal. Through all of it, she is transformed. The discreet, compliant woman she once was-someone whose nickname was "Belle the Good"-gives way to someone braver, someone determined to use her voice.
With unflinching honesty and profound grace, Burden charts a path through heartbreak to show the power of a woman who refuses to give up on love and rediscovers trust in herself. Strangers is a stunning, deeply moving, compulsively readable memoir heralding the arrival of a thrilling new literary talent. "Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage, is a beautifully written eulogy for the loss of a relationship that had been loving, trusting, 'traditional' (in the best, unironic sense of the word)-riveting reading for its heartrending candor. Through an examination of her marriage-and the social expectations that defined it-Belle Burden examines the very nature of intimacy, vulnerability, and, in practical terms, the naïveté of many a young woman who falls in love with a 'perfect' mate. Her questions are not just, What went wrong? But, more fundamentally, What is the nature of human personality? Are we all playing 'roles?'"-Joyce Carol Oates
"A searing exploration of rebuilding after profound loss. With candor, Belle Burden navigates heartbreak in a way that reshapes rather than restores, crafting a future both unrecognizable and wholly her own. More than a memoir of divorce, it is a powerful testament to reclaiming voice, power, and joy. Burden's journey speaks to anyone broken by the unimaginable and courageous enough to forge a new beginning."-Adrienne Brodeur, New York Times bestselling author of Wild Game
"A lyrical and gripping tale of the abrupt end of a seemingly solid and loving marriage. I read Strangers in one weekend. Beyond Burden's beautiful writing and shocking story, it is a call to feminism. I identify as a strong, smart, and capable woman-and yet sometimes, in married life, I catch myself as a version of Lucy Ricardo, making casseroles and doctors appointments. Burden reminds us: Don't fall asleep at the wheel, be self-sustaining, stake a claim in what's yours. Strangers is a woman's graceful awakening-and one to learn from."-Isabel Gillies, New York Times bestselling author of Happens Every Day Belle Burden holds a BA from Harvard College and a law degree from NYU. She is a pro bono immigration attorney specializing in juvenile cases and her writing has appeared in The New York Times. She lives with her children in New York City.
"A powerful testament to reclaiming voice, power, and joy." - Adrienne Brodeur, New York Times bestselling author of Wild Game
On a chilly day in early spring, Belle Burden's husband of twenty years announced, with no prior warning, that he was leaving her. Belle was shocked; he had always been a committed partner and a devoted father to their three children. She thought they were in love. She thought he-they-were living the life they'd always wanted: professional success, summers at their beloved beachside home, a vibrant social life. But overnight, her caring, steady husband became a man she hardly recognized. He exited his life with her like an actor shrugging off a costume.
In Strangers, Belle revisits her marriage, searching for clues that her husband was not who she always thought he was. As she examines her relationship through a new lens, she reckons with her own family history and the lessons she intuited about how a woman is expected to behave in the face of betrayal. Through all of it, she is transformed. The discreet, compliant woman she once was-someone whose nickname was "Belle the Good"-gives way to someone braver, someone determined to use her voice.
With unflinching honesty and profound grace, Burden charts a path through heartbreak to show the power of a woman who refuses to give up on love and rediscovers trust in herself. Strangers is a stunning, deeply moving, compulsively readable memoir heralding the arrival of a thrilling new literary talent. "Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage, is a beautifully written eulogy for the loss of a relationship that had been loving, trusting, 'traditional' (in the best, unironic sense of the word)-riveting reading for its heartrending candor. Through an examination of her marriage-and the social expectations that defined it-Belle Burden examines the very nature of intimacy, vulnerability, and, in practical terms, the naïveté of many a young woman who falls in love with a 'perfect' mate. Her questions are not just, What went wrong? But, more fundamentally, What is the nature of human personality? Are we all playing 'roles?'"-Joyce Carol Oates
"A searing exploration of rebuilding after profound loss. With candor, Belle Burden navigates heartbreak in a way that reshapes rather than restores, crafting a future both unrecognizable and wholly her own. More than a memoir of divorce, it is a powerful testament to reclaiming voice, power, and joy. Burden's journey speaks to anyone broken by the unimaginable and courageous enough to forge a new beginning."-Adrienne Brodeur, New York Times bestselling author of Wild Game
"A lyrical and gripping tale of the abrupt end of a seemingly solid and loving marriage. I read Strangers in one weekend. Beyond Burden's beautiful writing and shocking story, it is a call to feminism. I identify as a strong, smart, and capable woman-and yet sometimes, in married life, I catch myself as a version of Lucy Ricardo, making casseroles and doctors appointments. Burden reminds us: Don't fall asleep at the wheel, be self-sustaining, stake a claim in what's yours. Strangers is a woman's graceful awakening-and one to learn from."-Isabel Gillies, New York Times bestselling author of Happens Every Day Belle Burden holds a BA from Harvard College and a law degree from NYU. She is a pro bono immigration attorney specializing in juvenile cases and her writing has appeared in The New York Times. She lives with her children in New York City.