In July, I picked up Belle Burden’s “Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage” near the checkout at Target. I was preparing for a trip, saw “New York Times bestseller” on the cover and was intrigued.
As someone who leads a family-focused nonprofit and is slightly obsessed with all things marriage and parenting, I was an easy sell.
What could a memoir of marriage have to say?
Turns out, quite a lot.
The book is incredibly well-written and also incredibly sad. Burden describes the abrupt end of her marriage during the COVID pandemic after more than 20 years together. She did not see it coming. Her husband, however, had apparently been planning his departure for some time.