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Strangers

A Memoir of Marriage

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Strangers

By: Belle Burden
Narrated by: Belle Burden
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

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.

'A beautifully written eulogy for the loss of a relationship' Joyce Carol Oates

© Belle Burden 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

 Divorce & Separation Marriage & Long-Term Partnerships Personal Development Relationships Self-Esteem Women

Critic 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?’
Named one of the 40 most exciting books to look forward to in 2026
A lyrical and gripping tale of the abrupt end of a seemingly solid and loving marriage. I read Strangers in one weekend. Beyond Burden’s beautiful writing and shocking story, it is a call to feminism. She reminds us: Don’t fall asleep at the wheel, be self-sustaining, stake a claim in what’s yours. Strangers is a woman’s graceful awakening—and one to learn from.
A searing exploration of rebuilding after profound loss. With candor, Belle Burden navigates heartbreak in a way that reshapes rather than restores, crafting a future both unrecognizable and wholly her own. More than a memoir of divorce, it is a powerful testament to reclaiming voice, power, and joy. Burden’s journey speaks to anyone broken by the unimaginable and courageous enough to forge a new beginning.
A beautifully written instant classic. Strangers is gripping and heartbreaking and a must-read for every wife—and husband.
Beautiful…devastating…though it’s a memoir, Strangers reads with all the momentum and colour of water-tight literary fiction
Examines how we view intimacy, how the people closest to us can change without us knowing, and how to move forward in the wake of devastation.
Isn't simply about the dissolution of a marriage...it’s about a private person finding her voice, about learning to live with ambiguity, about what happens when safety nets fail. Burden’s sharp, personal writing brings readers deep into her unthinkable circumstances and offers a promise to anyone suffering: you can make it to the other side.
In 2023, Burden went viral with a Modern Love essay entitled “Was I Married to a Stranger?” Here, she explores the full heart-shock of that episode — the sudden disintegration of a long and largely joyful marriage, undone weeks into the pandemic by the revelation that her husband had not only been unfaithful but also seemed to wish to vanish almost entirely from their shared life, which included three young children.
‘Burden is an elegant writer … As Strangers and myriad tv shows attest, even the most intimate and long marriages can yield nasty surprises. In the end, how well do you really know the person who lies next to you in bed every night?’
All stars
Most relevant
I feel less alone after listening to this book. Every man and woman should listen to this

It is so raw and honest

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Raw, honest, balanced, and real - I loved this book, and hearing it in the voice of the author made it all the more compelling.

The authenticity of the story

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Couldn’t turn this off - drawn in from the opening paragraph- this story could be about any one of us - beautifully told .

Belle

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I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir and was engaged from start to finish. It illuminates the patriarchal systems that allow women to absorb blame while men (like James, noting he is incredibly affluent and white) can literally abandon their families, do no parenting, have an affair, and weaponise prenups with no consequences. I’ve titled this forest for the trees because while the memoir overall floodlights these inequitable structures, the author also seems to slip back into complicity with them when rescaling the issue to one of individual compassion or biology or fate (or whatever) on her part. Still, an important voice to be out there.

Forest for the trees

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Belle , is honest & her story is an insightful autopsy on her marriage .
She acknowledges her privilege all while sharing how she moved through her devastating divorce. This is a great listen … her story raises women’s issues that a universal . Strongly recommend.

One Women’s considered Divorce Story

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