Strangers

Named one of the 40 most exciting books to look forward to in 2026

BBC Culture

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.

Isabel Gillies, New York Times bestselling author of Happens Every Day

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.

Adrienne Brodeur, New York Times bestselling author of Wild Game

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

Graydon Carter

Beautiful…devastating…though it’s a memoir, Strangers reads with all the momentum and colour of water-tight literary fiction

British Vogue

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.

W Magazine

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.

Town & Country

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.

New York Times

‘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?’

Economist