The hottest book of the year so far isn’t a steamy beach read or a page-turning thriller. It’s a heartbreaking — and empowering — memoir about a divorce. This week, Danielle sits down with Belle Burden to talk about her memoir, “Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage.” 

Belle Burden had a picture-perfect life. A husband in finance, three kids, a pristine apartment in Manhattan, and a summer home on Martha’s Vineyard. Then, one day — right at the start of the pandemic — she found out that her husband was having an affair. And the next morning, he tells her he wants out. Out of the house, out of the marriage — even out of custody for their kids.

Belle talks about the upcoming Netflix adaptation of her book, starting over after watching her world as she knew it fell apart, and why she wishes a book like hers had existed long before now. 

BOOKS MENTIONED:

Strangers by Belle Burden

Barefoot Contessa by Ina Garten

The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin 

The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand

The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday

When the Going Was Good by Graydon Carter 

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

Heart the Lover by Lily King

Go Gentle by Maria Semple 

Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger