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.

Author’s honesty & authenticity.

I love the public shaming. May he go straight to hell where no one will ever care or remember him

Poignant perfection

Beautifully written and read, this memoir is both heartbreaking and uplifting. It is the first time I have finished an audible book within a day, and it is the first time an audiobook has made me cry- multiple times. It is multilayered, introspective, and full circle. I am so happy Belle found herself and her voice. It is a beautiful story.

Could Not Put This Book Down!

Belle Burden writes a remarkably chilling and compelling memoir in which every woman should be able to relate to in some way. This is not the story of a marriage imploding - I mean, it is, but it is so much more than that. It’s about a woman who is accomplished and successful in her own right, who wakes up and realizes she’s living in a horror story. One which she did not write the rules, and cannot know them. But the rules quickly become apparent: men can do anything and get away with it if they have money and power. Women, no matter how kind, mothering, beautiful, smart …have a shelf life. And a large part of society simply accepts that as the way it is. Especially, again, when money and power are involved. Belle lives through a gripping tale of complete and utter betrayal, and she comes out alive. And the reader is better for that. Strength often lies in hidden places, and Belle is an example of that. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever felt like their life was going one way …only to find that due to circumstances outside of your control, life will not be what you thought.

Fantastic book

This book was everything! Don’t think about it, just read it. You won’t regret it

Beautiful Memoir! Remarkable grace and honesty.

Belle Burden writes with remarkable grace and honesty in this memoir about her marriage and it almost instant dissolution. Her perspective is honest and balanced--she seeks to tell the truth without bitterness. The prose is elegant and deeply felt. Burden proves herself a skilled writer. A moving read that stays with you. Would give six stars if it were possible. Stay well Belle.