Strangers: a memoir of marriage

I was granted an ARC of Belle Burden’s memoir by NetGalley. This title has been receiving significant press, and I was immediately intrigued. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The coverage painted a picture of a woman of immense privilege and generational wealth—would this be another “the wealthy are just like the rest of us” narrative, a poor-little-rich-girl account? Not at all.
Burden opens with the lowest point of her life, then backtracks to trace the genesis of her relationship, leading the reader step by step to the moment her world implodes. In a candid, straightforward style, she paints an intimate portrait of her life and marriage. Her writing is so vivid it feels as though a friend is recounting the story over coffee. I found myself shocked, angered, and puzzled as the account unfolded.
Time passed quickly, and I was so invested that I read the book in a single sitting. Five stars.
​Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy.