Belle Burden’s Strangers is a memoir about a marriage ending and what society expects of the woman left behind

💡A stable, seemingly idyllic family life suddenly turns into a woman’s worst nightmare: the revelation of her husband’s affair and an abrupt divorce. Set against the distressing backdrop of the 2020 pandemic, American author and lawyer Belle Burden details the aftermath of a sudden, heartbreaking marriage breakdown in her latest memoir Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage.

What to expect: Burden is a mother of three who has been happily married to her husband James for 20 years when, during the early days of the Covid lockdown, she receives a message from a man claiming that his wife is having an affair with James. Just as she was processing the betrayal, James abruptly announces that he wants a divorce.

What ensues is Burden’s slow — but strikingly composed — unraveling as she confronts the breakdown of a marriage she believed was happy and secure. She recounts her struggle to navigate an unexpected new reality as the sole parent to three adolescent children, whom their father abandoned and didn’t want custody of. At the heart of the memoir, Burden examines society’s expectations to remain discreet and composed in the face of betrayal, while questioning why men can walk away from their families without consequence.

Our thoughts: Burden’s prose is evocative and penetrating at times, and cliché-leaning at others. We enjoyed the fast-moving narrative, which still made room for quieter moments of emotion and reflection. The story is rich and tangible with details and memories, but Burden’s autobiographical portrait felt too relationship-centric and shallow at times, while the story as a whole occasionally came across as unaware of the privilege underpinning Burden’s experience. Still, Burden captures the overwhelming tangle of emotions tied to an experience like this — confusion, grief, sadness, courage, betrayal, hope, hatred, bitterness, love, shaken self-esteem, societal pressure, and more.

Our verdict: Burden’s 200-page reckoning with the emotional loss of her husband and the father of her children is a story worth telling, particularly for women with similar fates. Its relatable premise gives Burden room to go deeper into the hindsight of a failed marriage, her family history, her financially comfortable upbringing, and ultimately her experience of carrying a family largely on her own. It’s an engrossing read with an easy-to-follow narrative that keeps you invested. If you’re looking for a vulnerable memoir that feels grounded while offering a little social commentary, Strangers is well worth a late-summer read.

WHERE TO GET IT- You can find the paperback at Diwan. You also get the eBook on Amazon and Kobo.