Overview

The must-read memoir of the end of a marriage and the start of a personal revolution, based on the iconic 'Modern Love' essay in the New York Times and perfect for fans of Glennon Doyle. 'A beautifully written eulogy for the loss of a relationship' Joyce Carol Oates 'Strangers reads with all the momentum and colour of water-tight literary fiction' British Vogue How do we go on when a loved one betrays us? On a chilly day in March of 2020, in the early days of the pandemic, Belle Burden's husband of twenty years announced, with no prior warning, that he was leaving her. His decision shocked Belle to her core- she believed he was a happy man, a committed partner, and a devoted father to their three children. She thought he was a man who had settled into the life he had always wanted- a successful career, summers spent at their beloved home on Martha's Vineyard, lots of tennis. Overnight, he transformed from her steady companion into a stranger. As she pieces her life together in the wake of a loss she had never imagined coming, she finds she is much stronger than she ever expected. Exploring the transformation of a shy, quiet girl, nicknamed 'Belle the Good' to a powerful, brave, determined woman who has learned to use her voice to expose the patriarchal structures that have forced women to be discreet and compliant for far too long, Strangers is a must-read memoir of self-discovery.

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9781529936117

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Reviews

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 *

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 beautifully written instant classic. Strangers is gripping and heartbreaking and a must-read for every wife—and husband. * Graydon Carter *

Author Information

Belle Burden was born in New York City. She holds a BA from Harvard College and a law degree from NYU. Currently, she is a pro bono immigration lawyer specializing in juvenile cases.

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