Strangers

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2026 IN VOGUE, BBC, NEW YORK TIMES, W MAGAZINE, TOWN & COUNTRY

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

'Beautiful... devastating ... Strangers reads with all the momentum and colour of water-tight literary fiction' British Vogue

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.

'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

‘A compelling tale of marriage and deception… Strangers raises some serious questions about the nature of intimacy and what makes a “perfect” marriage … She weaves the narrative together deftly: I devoured Strangers in about two days, greedily absorbing every twist and painful turn … I loved it.’ Lucy Denyer, Telegraph

‘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

‘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