Strangers

A Memoir of Marriage

De: Belle Burden

Narrado por: Belle Burden

INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Burden’s searing, probing memoir explores . . . what she learned about intimacy and her own spirit.”—People​​

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

“Asks us to examine life’s most perplexing questions: Can we see the invisible fault lines in a marriage or truly know the people closest to us?”—Lori Gottlieb

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.

Honest and evenhanded

Belle’s memoir is a masterclass in early red flags, how anyone is susceptible to a situation like this when they’re neck deep in a narcissistic, one-sided relationship. Belle eloquently takes us through all stages of her relationship and the consequences of ceding total control to a partner. She owned her part in the marriage’s demise. James ultimately came to despise and resent Belle’s social standing and money. Belle’s memoir is the opposite of revenge and retaliation. For me, there wasn’t a hint of unkindness

Wonderful writing

This book helped me a lot while going through a similar situation as the author did.
It is also beautifully written and a joy to listen to.
Anybody who thinks this is a revenge piece should take a closer look. It is not. It's about the author speaking her own truth and being brave enough to do that in a world where that is not always perceived well, especially not when it's a woman speaking up against a man.
What helped me the most about this book is that it offers a hint of understanding and forgiveness even about the actions of a man that could easily be painted as unforgivable.
I think she has done many women, men and her own family a big service by writing her essay and then this book.
Thank you, Belle!

Fabulous book!!

Amazing book. So touch and well written! I couldn’t put it down! Please write more books, Belle!

Real

It kept me captivated and elicited various emotions. I was touched by how strong the autor was to write the book for herself and for other women.

Beautifully written

Like others have said, the story of an uber rich socialite being left by her husband could sound like an eye roll story of a privileged and out of touch woman, but it is absolutely not. Belle weaves together a story of tragedy and family collapse in those early days of the pandemic when we were all facing scary, uncertain times in isolation - and her narrative feels relatable. The story of how she untangled her emotions and carried on left me rooting for her throughout the book and unable to stop listening. I almost never listen to a 7 hour book in a day or two, but this one was worth it.