Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage

by Belle Burden

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 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 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.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Marriage, Biography Memoir, Biography

237 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication January 15, 2026

Reviews

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine forwarded me an Essay in the New York Times Modern Love Series written by Belle Burden titled Was I Married to a Stranger. This friend raved for months about how affirming and connected to Belle she felt, since she had gone through a similar experience with her former husband. I too loved the article so, of course, I wanted to learn more about Belle’s story when I found out this memoir was being released.

Told with grace and vulnerability, Belle explains how blindsided she felt as her husband cruelly uprooted not only their life after two decades together but also their children’s. Belle describes how she navigated motherhood and other responsibilities while dealing with such devastating heartbreak.

Belle is such a talented author, and I found her debut to be very engrossing. I really enjoyed learning how Belle prioritized her children's emotional well-being during such a tumultuous time. I loved learning how Belle reclaimed her life and identity after the divorce. It also really surprised me to learn that some people in Belle’s circle reacted negatively and critically after her Essay in The Times was published.

I found Strangers to be an inspiring, poignant, and captivating memoir and I would highly recommend it. I listened to the audiobook version which is narrated by the author herself! If you decide to pick this one, I highly recommend this format.

Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden will be available on January 13. Many thanks to Penguin Random House Audio for the gifted audiobook!

[Kate O'Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant but, quite frankly, jaw-dropping account of the implosion of Belle Burden's marriage. It took my breath away.

Belle and her husband James had been married for 20 years. Three children, a big daft dog, a summer home and an apartment in the city seemed to signify to Belle that her life was all it could be. But at the start of the pandemic a phone call from another woman's husband explodes everything she believed about her marriage and the man she loved.

The writing in this memoir is superb. Part of me wanted to devour it in one sitting but I forced myself to slow down to take in every part of this marriage's sudden disintegration.

I'll be honest, I was absolutely horrified at the sheer callousness of James. Not only in his actions as he ended the marriage but his coldness towards his wife and children as Belle tries to come to terms with his abandonment (and I don't use that word lightly).

What Belle Burden has written is a touching and honest account of what it is like to find out that the person you think you've known for decades is, in fact, a stranger. It should also serve as a cautionary tale to anyone in any kind of partnership who doesn't keep a weather eye on the finances. As for love - noone can predict what may happen but make sure you read the bank statements.

An excellent memoir. It must have been painful to write. It was certainly hard to read but I would highly recommend it to anyone. I sincerely hope Ms Burden writes more books.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Ebury Publishing, Penguin Random House.

[mariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

received an advanced copy of this book and couldn’t put it down! finished it in a day and can’t wait for the world to read this beautiful and heartbreaking memoir

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Absolutely loved this memoir and could not stop myself from consuming it in one sitting. It almost reads like a beautifully poetic literary fiction, so much so that I had to remind myself it actually is a memoir. This takes you from the day of the discovery through the dissolution of a marriage and what comes after. It is written so beautifully in a way that sets it apart from other memoirs. I felt like I actually walked this journey with the author the entire time. With vivid descriptions of her emotions in the aftermath of what happened, I was in my feels. There’s no wild salacious drama in this memoir which is what it makes it so relatable for so many of us.

[Yamileth Broderick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and deeply honest, this memoir pulls you right into the heart of a complicated, emotional story. Belle Burden writes with such vulnerability and clarity that you can feel every high and low as if you were living it alongside her.

It’s raw and reflective but also full of moments that make you pause and really think about love, marriage, and identity. One of those memoirs that lingers in your mind long after you finish.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5
Impressive and compelling, but in the end it got a bit repetative and it could maybe have been a bit shorter. Thank you Penguin random House UK and Netgalley UK for the ARC.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

This poetic, raw, and poignant memoir captures the shattering impact on a wife's life when, out of the blue, her husband asks for a divorce. Could hardly read through my tears but could not put it down due to its transformative message of hope. Wow!

[Melodi | booksandchicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A memoir of the authors marriage that abruptly ended upon a finding out her husband was involved with another woman. I feel like much of this book was her processing her experience and trying to understand how her perceived successful marriage ended randomly one day.

The title of this book shows how she navigated her and her husbands past amongst their 25+ years together.

An easy listen, that kept me curious to know how certain things would shake out. Come to learn she comes from a wealthy and influential family made me wonder what of that allowed her to have this published voice. A raw and vulnerable book that I think readers will like but maybe not if you’re in the middle of a divorce?

[Tam📖 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Dial Press for the ARC.

Please if you do anything, add this to your 2026 books you have to read.

I was hooked from the very page. I wish I could inject every word into my veins because it was THAT GOOD!!!

Imagine my shock when I read 20 pages in, this was Babe Paley’s granddaughter.

I absolutely loved this book.

Favorite book I read so far this year.

I want her to write a follow up book to this.

[Nesrin Gotthard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of this memoir, and I’m really glad I got the chance to read it.
It’s a very detailed and honest story about their divorce, the timing and the timeline, and it felt so real—like listening to someone open up about what they went through. I appreciated how personal it was.
You can feel how much emotion and thought went into every page.
I think a lot of people would connect with this book, whether they’ve been through something similar or just want to understand more about what it’s like. I’ll definitely be thinking about this one for a while.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart-wrenching, devastating, and triumphant - Belle Burden's memoir "Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage" was a beautifully crafted work that I was surprisingly drawn into, despite the fact that I had never been married before.

Shortly after the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Belle and her husband of over two decades are quarantined in their summer home at Martha's Vineyard with their three children when James delivers life-changing news: he's fallen in love with another woman and promptly leaves his family behind, returning back to Manhattan to continue the affair. In the days that follow, Belle attempts to make sense of this complete upheaval, looking back on their decades-long relationship, meeting and falling in love at a law firm in NYC and the countless memories and emotions that she holds from the years that follow. She questions herself - What did she miss? What did she do wrong? - while simultaneously trying to maintain structure for her children and understand how and when do break this news to them.

While this memoir is called a Memoir of Marriage, it's so much more. Belle dives into her and her ex-husband's backgrounds, noting how their own childhoods and family experiences shaped them into adulthood. She recalls their early years with love and fondness, painting a man who was loving, supportive, and kind - yet had his own demons and insecurities he battled with in secret. And she lays out the painful and difficult time that follows, including the legal consequences of divorce and the contentious separation of assets; the social repercussions she had to face when friends and acquaintances inevitably heard the news and inevitably chose a side or narrative to believe; and her own personal physical recovery, including diving back into writing as an opportunity to take back her voice and story. It is one woman's personal story and triumph, but also sheds a clear and glaring light at the misogyny and sexism still present today, at the immediate doubt cast on women and the expectation that they will bear the brunt of giving grace and forgiveness even when it's uncalled for.

The writing is enthralling, emotionally intricate and contemplative, which made it easy to finish this book within a day. I highly recommend "Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage" to anyone who has an opportunity to read it once it's published in January 2026!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a profoundly personal and introspective view of the end of a marriage. Belle Burden had everything: a very successful husband who she adored, three children who were doing well; a career; houses in NYC and Martha's Vineyard and plenty of money to enjoy life. Until her husband suddenly announced that he wanted a divorce and did not want custody of the children. This book accounts her life an emotions in sometimes excruciating detail as she worked through the process of reevaluating her future.
The author is a lawyer by training but a writer by passion. The book is very well written and absorbing. I usually do not read these types of books, but it drew me in and captivated me. The book is a warning of the destruction that happens when a spouse decides to walk away from a marriage.

[Jane Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in about 36 hours, the first book in quite awhile that I have been very motivated to finish quickly.

I’m not married and never have been and never will be so I wasn’t going to get this book when I was offered an ARC from Netgalley, but I did read the blurb and the quotes from readers and started recommending it to my friend who is about to go through a divorce. In discussing it, I became more interested and eventually requested the title, in part so I could test the water for her in case it would be difficult or triggering. Starting it in bed on the first night, I texted my friend saying ‘ I���m 30% in! It’s actually just a really good book!’

So that’s my review- as a reader with no frame of reference- it’s actually just a really good book.

I was really interested in the background stuff, about the authors family including her grandmother, Babe Paley, as I had watched the Truman Capote Feud series. Also fascinating to think about how the pandemic factored; how many lives switch to a new track when there are tectonic shifts in the world?

[JR · Rating 5 out of 5]

“He is not a villain. He is a man with his own wounds. He is my children’s father, the source of many years of love and happiness. He is someone who made decisions about his own life, his own future. He is someone I can survive without. He is someone I don’t know. He is someone who doesn’t know me.”

[Laura]

I can’t wait for everyone to read this book. Loved it.

[Jackie Sunday · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is heartbreaking about the emotional pains of a divorce.

Belle Burden, her husband, James, and children of NYC decided during COVID to move temporarily into their house on Martha’s Vineyard. She started the book by telling readers that everything changed one day when she picked up a voicemail from a man who said James was having an affair with his wife – a woman 15 years younger. Belle and James had been together for 20 years.

While it was written from Belle’s point of view, it appeared for the most part that James, a financial investor, was heartless. He walked away from his marriage without an explanation and said he didn’t want custody of the kids. Furthermore, he refused to go to a marriage counselor stating that he was done. She had no idea that he was unhappy. However, we don’t know if he was walking away from a woman who was making his life unbearable.

It was easy to get caught up in the image of the once happy family that had to adjust to a new situation, now broken during the pandemic. Yet, they still had a comfortable life living in a multi-million home making it much easier than others. When James stepped away from the family circle, Belle’s painful feelings and emotions were escalating. It's definitely a conversation piece and a book that will most likely get a lot of feedback.

Belle had an agreement with James that he would work while she would stay home and take care of their three children. She had an impressive CV in law. Her memoir also included a few brief descriptions of immigrant cases she worked on pro bono. I hope she continues to write about the complex legal process of immigrants and what is happening to them now.

My thanks to The Dial Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of January 13, 2026. This is my personal viewpoint.

[Ina Halsor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This memoir is not a “Poor me, my husband left” story; it is a story of the construct of relationships in all forms - and Belle represents a vast majority of women in the modern world still living fairly traditional marriages - but what happens when the marriage ends?

Strangers: A Memoir of a Marriage is raw and honest, it explores the ripple effects once the institution of a marriage falls - how to find your place in the world and navigate a loss whilst still functioning in a not-so-kind society + still offer love and support to your children.
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The memoir isn’t a ‘battle of the sexes’ type of story but heavily suggests that men and women are wired differently and there is a stigma as to how we as women should react and what we are allowed to speak openly about. It challenges narratives and how we seek validation and reassurance in the people around us. It also reminds us it is ok to stand your ground and not bow to social expectations.
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What I found most interesting about this book was the observations of community; who will reach out and who will turn away when you are hurting.
Also, how much of your identify is wrapped up in your role as a spouse, in this instance Belle as a wife?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, I was fascinated by living inside Belle’s mind whilst she was questioning, analysing and observing her life, her choices and her situation. Quite gripping and also very clever writing, a lot of suspense made me turn the pages faster than most books I’ve read recently.
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Thanks to NetGalley for a digital copy of this soon to be released memoir.
5/5 stars

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just read this book in two sittings. I couldn’t put it down.
It’s the first ever memoir I’ve read.
It’s a memoir on marriage and a loss of a marriage.
I found it incredibly heartbreaking at times.
It’s a very brave and powerful real story.
From the first page I was captivated. The power, the money, the lifestyle, the children, the marriage, a family living through COVID. It all completely pulled me in.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy.

If you fancy something that will open up your heart and show you someone else’s life definitely check this out. It’s releasing January 15th 2026.

[Melanie Reilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Belle Burden’s world was flipped upside down when, at the onset of the pandemic, her husband of twenty years—and father of their three children—left the family.

I was gripped instantly, stunned alongside Belle by the unexpected upheaval of everything she knew, and, like her, desperate for answers and clues to make sense of actions that felt so incongruous with the narrative of their shared history.

In "Strangers," Burden navigates the aftermath of her husband’s affair and sudden desertion while reflecting on their past.

I was grateful for the honesty and humility with which Belle offers her story—I think this is a memoir people will be talking about all year.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This memoir will hands down be one of the best books of 2026. Reading this book felt like an intense experience, almost unbelievable at times, like witnessing an accident as it’s unfolding. I found myself gripped from start to finish, and am still reeling long after setting the book down.

The author’s way in which she shares her story is so clear and compelling, but what makes it stand out is her vulnerability. She writes as if she’s sitting with you over coffee confiding in the goings on of her life. I connected with this book over her raw honesty and reflections, and I appreciated the way in which she was able to reflect with humor and grace. It was very powerful.

I will be recommending this memoir to my friends and book clubs. It is one not to be missed.

Thank you to Belle Burden, Random House and NetGalley for a digital copy of the book for an honest review.

[Vmndetta (V) ᛑᛗᛛ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is a deeply heartbreaking yet touching memoir. While a few questions remain unanswered, I really enjoyed reading and finished it in a single sitting. The writing is so engaging and makes you somehow want to keep reading until the end, making you empathize with the author's experiences. It evoked a range of emotions in me; frustration, tenderness, and sympathy.

[JadesNovelNook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt fully immersed in this memoir! It made me emotional in every sense and I couldn’t help but think how strong Belle is. The writting completely put me in her shoes and I loved how deeply honest this book was.
I felt anger at how Belle was treated by the men around her whilst going through divorce and how differently Belle, as a woman, would have been treated had she been the one to walk out on her family.
I would absolutely recommend this book.

[Isabella · Rating 5 out of 5]

incredible. a one-sitting read. At times, one of the scariest books I’ve ever read

[DianaAitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have very mixed feelings about this book.
I did enjoy reading it, it certainly kept my attention, but in some other way i found it boring.
It’s a story thousands of women could write, it is not that unique.
Thanks to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read this.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have such mix feelings on this book.

First, it is so well written I could not put it down and I am very picky about what I read, especially when it comes to memoirs.

I come from a family with a dad that cheated on my mom (thankfully, she is not on social media, so I can say that). I saw firsthand what happens and it has left lasting impressions on me - some good
ones (my mother is such a strong person) to bad (wow, I did not matter to my dad, not really).

I will state this right now, that man is something else and he does not deserve his family - no question about that and he deserves whatever karma is coming to him.

When it comes to men and love, something seems to happen to many perfectly strong women, we get stupid (me included). It was so obvious that James had disconnected and was actually doing what was best for HIM. The whole prenup thing just got me mad. Yet. Belle said it herself, it was her fault, everyone told her about the prenup, but she was so in love she threw away all advice - See what I mean about smart women,,,

Her writing style is wonderful. You feel her pain. You feel her fear. She built James enough for many readers to have a strong opinion on this man and his actions. I found myself rooting for her at times and wanting to yell at her at other times. This is a direct testimony to the writing.

The pace was also excellent. She does not go deep into useless details. She tells us what we need to read. The story moves forward well.

This was a very frustrating read , but I loved it, and I hope she writes a follow up in a few years so we can follow her journey.

[lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

belle’s life is upended when her husband tells her he wants a divorce - a decision that comes out of nowhere. in this memoir, we follow along on belle’s journey from meeting her husband, dating, preparing for marriage, the births of their children, all the way to the start of the pandemic when he blows up her world. the major life change forces her to retrace her steps throughout their relationship and question her choices - should she have done things differently? was she a terrible wife (leading to the divorce)? why won’t her ex-husband give her an answer as to why he made this decision? what do you do with yourself over the coming years if that answer never comes?
reading this memoir felt like going through it with one of your girlfriends. the financial decisions that belle made early on in their relationship/marriage are teachable moments for young people - particularly women - who may be embarking on relationships of their own. do your due diligence and thoughtfully consider the (possible) legal ramifications before making any major financial decisions.
when belle published her essay on the divorce in the modern love column of the new york times, she did so because she thought it could help at least one person going through the same experience. belle’s memoir is also going to do the same thing. whether your own divorce leaves you with more questions than answers or someone you love is currently going through it, belle’s perspective is open, honest, and respectful. i appreciate that she was willing to share her story with readers.

thank you to random house publishing group for providing this book for review consideration via netgalley. all opinions are my own.

[☆ Katie ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A vulnerable portrayal of a seemingly happy marriage that fell apart quickly and without warning.

Belle tells the story of how she and her husband met, their passionate relationship, and the family that they built together. When she finds out about her husband's infidelity, he suddenly turns into an unrecognizable person, forgoing all that they've built and showing no compassion towards her or their children.

The writing is articulate and Burden's narrative voice is very compelling. I could feel her confusion and distress through the pages, and I empathized with her painful circumstances. This intimate portrait of the unraveling of a marriage was filled with candor and raw emotion. I was touched by her generosity in sharing her story and her unwavering strength in the face of such adversity.

Thanks to NetGalley and The Dial Press for the ARC

[Lady Fancifull · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ospreys do it all so much better : instinct stronger than me, me, me.

This is not the kind of book I would generally request but it was the praise for Burden’s writing by Joyce Carol Oates which made me try this, I’m happy I did.

The reason I would not have normally done so, was that the memoir of marital breakdown of a wealthy Manhattan couple’s marriage, and the personal family of two generations of influential powerful individuals, with a history of husbands cheating on their wives, is not something per se which would capture my curiosity. These are, after all, lives out of the ordinary, corporate lawyers in America, not people I have ever heard of, ones with a weekend, getaway additional home in Martha’s Vineyard, and so I thought this could only hook into a part of my nature I don’t really chooses to indulge : that area that rubber-necks at disasters, or the kind of salaciousness which click-bait waste-paper headlines deliberately appeal to and indulge.

Anyways, there was much more to ponder about, and, indeed, this was more than a mere personal, written-from-desire-to-blame-name-shame, or as needed self-therapy and catharsis, though the writing journey was part of the trajectory onwards, outwards, upwards and inhabiting of the present

Belle Burden and her husband met when both were corporate lawyers. Their marriage was idyllic, at least to the external eye, and to Belle herself. Her husband had always appeared to be a devoted father to their 3 children. He, Belle and their 2 youngest, 15 and 12 at the time of early Covid lockdown, in March 2020 had left New York to spend lockdown more safely in their Martha’s Vineyard home. Their oldest child, late teens, had elected to stay geographically closer to his peer group, finishing up his education.

A mere week after having moved to Martha’s Vineyard, her husband out of the blue announced he was leaving. He had, predictably, been having an affair, and the woman’s husband’s left Belle a voicemail informing her. What was particularly shocking was that ‘James’ (not the husband’s real name, never revealed in her book) had packed his bags, that night, announcing he was walking out of his marriage – and did not intend to have or seek any custody of his children, or further physical shared responsibility for them.

Though Belle uses her own and her family name, and talks about her own family history, she chose not to reveal her husband’s identity.

In June 2023 Belle Burden had a short article published in the New York Times, in their series ‘Modern Love’. This book is a longer, more reflective and structured shaping of that article, coming up to the present. Her husband, as in the book, was not named.

Inexplicably – or perhaps not, given the predilection for clickbait ‘outing’ of all sorts of stories hardly in ‘the public interest’ – the British Daily Mail ‘investigated’ and published pictures of the couple, naming the husband. What a real piece of work that publication is, ‘gutter press’ doesn’t even cover it. Beneath the gutter.

What was also shocking and distasteful, was how that wealthy, privileged community of whom Burden was a part, divided. There were certain friends and acquaintances who – and this was well before the publication of the article – cut loose from friendship and social connection with ‘the abandoned wife, abandoned children’ And this was not just the men. An abandoned woman, even one deeply suffering, and needing at least emotional support, found that some of their circle of acquaintances were almost reacting as if Burden were a dangerous carrier of a deadly virus. And not the real, at that time, deadly CV19.

It seemed as if loyalty to class, power, prestige, exclusive tennis clubs outweighed human values. Of course there were others, sometimes surprising ones, who had not shown themselves to be utterly shallow and impervious to any empathy or humanity.

Belle Burden does not write this in some kind of wail, finger pointing, or poor me way – which is why this account does have a wider, reflective audience, and makes the reader think about the mysterious nature of relationship, in its best, and its worst. It is of course that abandoning of children which is most shocking. Had it been the woman walking away from her children there is little doubt that there would have been total community solidarity around taking a husband’s part.

Finally, I really appreciated the framing of the history of an osprey family in the land belonging to the Martha’s Vineyard home, serving as a kind of avian example of strong, supportive pair bonding, and protective fostering of the next generation

I received this as a digital ARC from Netgalley

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

This was a compulsive read. I went in blind, not knowing that the author had had a much shorter version of this story published in the New York Times's Modern Love column in 2023, and not recognizing any of the names connected with this book. In that way, I think I may have set myself up for failure in a weird way. Had I gone into this book knowing how tremendously privileged the author and her circle were (a fact she acknowledges, but doesn't feel like she really understands), I think I could have had different expectations of her perspective. 

Burden's ex blindsided her when, a handful of weeks into the first Covid lockdowns in New York, he announced he'd been unhappy and was leaving her and the family they'd built for a different life entirely. The memoir follows her reckoning with feeling like she'd never really known him, and tries to balance her previous perception of herself with the version of herself she's been forced to step into. 

She clearly has a lot of empathy for all of the people in her life, and I'm delighted that in reclaiming her writing, she's functionally told Greg, a jerk who told her she couldn't write, that his opinion was bunk. And I loved the recurring check ins with the mated Osprey pair that lived outside her house in Martha's Vineyard, a beautiful reminder that life goes on even when our world's are falling apart. I think this memoir fell short for me in a way that isn't uncommon -- it felt to me like it could have benefitted from a little more time and distance from the events that were being retold. However, I applaud her reclaiming her story and not shying away from the uncomfortable honesty in an effort to grow and help her kids see the dissolution of their parents' marriage through a lens of empowerment. 

The nearness of the events did lend Burden's story an absolutely compulsive, almost gossip rag feel to it. Like you've gone out with a girlfriend who is sharing all of the messy details, and that you're fully in her court, listening intently as she spills all of the painful, ugly parts of her grief. 

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book! I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys memoirs focused on finding oneself, nonfiction that reads like fun gossip, and anyone who has ever been baffled by an out of nowhere breakup with a partner or a friend.

[Emily Pukuma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few days into the COVID-19 lockdown, while Belle, her husband of twenty years, and their children were quarantining at their second home in Martha’s Vineyard, she received a text from an unknown number: her husband was having an affair. Moments later, her husband appeared and confirmed it. Without further details, he announced he was leaving. She could have the house, the New York apartment—and the children. He packed a bag and walked out.

Belle spent the following days and months trying to understand what had happened and how a marriage she believed was strong had unraveled so completely. Midway through the memoir, I half expected some kind of psychological break or diagnosis to explain the husband’s behavior. The affair and even the abrupt divorce I could comprehend, but abandoning his three children—buying a new two-bedroom apartment and turning the second bedroom into an office rather than a guest room—was a coldness I struggled to grasp.

This is not a memoir about a broken marriage, a painful divorce, or even a woman’s struggle to define herself outside her relationship. Instead, Belle circles the quieter, inherited patterns of female silence—the learned endurance of men’s bad behavior passed down by generations of women who taught her to stay quiet—that shaped her marriage and her response to its collapse. This is where the book is strongest, though I often wished she pressed further. Because she doesn’t, the memoir leaves itself more open to familiar critiques: her extreme privilege, her status, and the question of whether she’s airing her husband’s failings for payback. These points persist not because they define the work, but because the deeper story—about finding a voice after generations of modeled silence—often lingers just beneath the surface.

Some readers have labeled the book as an act of revenge, but I didn’t read it that way. The tone is largely restrained, the events presented plainly, and she avoids casting herself as either martyr or villain. Still, I think the memoir would have been even stronger had it leaned more deliberately into that underlying narrative of voice and inheritance. In the end, it’s not a story about divorce or even heartbreak—it’s a story about speaking aloud after years of watching women absorb, endure, and stay quiet.

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC!