Wow. Strangers is quite possibly the most riveting memoir I’ve ever read. And I do not say that lightly. The level of wealth is part of what makes this book so all consuming, but it’s mostly the spectacularly awful behavior of her ex-husband, which for all intents and purposes seems to come out of the blue. This memoir is getting lots of buzz and I’m thrilled to hear the Gwyneth Paltrow is set to star as Belle in the upcoming film adaptation. Here’s what Amazon says:
It was a great love story, one for the ages. The speed of our beginning and the speed of our ending felt like matching bookends. They both came out of nowhere. He wanted it, he wanted me. And then he didn’t.
In March 2020, Belle Burden was safe and secure with her family at their house on Martha’s Vineyard, navigating the early days of the pandemic together—building fires in the late afternoons, drinking whisky sours, making roast chicken. Then, with no warning or explanation, her husband of twenty years announced that he was leaving her. Overnight, her caring, steady partner became a man she hardly recognized. He exited his life with her like an actor shrugging off a costume.
In Strangers, Burden 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 nicknamed “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. Strangers is a stunning, deeply moving, compulsively readable memoir heralding the arrival of a thrilling new literary talent.
Belle is a fantastic writer. That talent coupled with her family’s dramatic and privileged history made for a can’t-put-down reading experience. I feel immense sorrow for Belle and her children. I’m glad to hear that she weathered the storm and is stronger than ever, but I am still heartbroken for her children. I hope their father realizes how unjust his actions are.
I’m guilty of letting Ben handle most of our finances without checking in to make sure I’m fully aware. That changes now. Not just because of divorce, but God forbid something happens to him. Belle, your story is helping thousands (millions?) of spouses!
Read the best memoir of 2026 (IMO) here: https://amzn.to/3QmkFRD
Strangers
