Strangers

This has been the book that absolutely everyone is talking about and reading, but I put it off as I worried it would be too sad or upsetting. It’s totally manageable, thanks to truly great writing and storytelling. The book opens at the beginning of the pandemic. Belle Burden and her family (her husband and two daughters — their oldest son is away) are quarantining at their vacation home on Martha’s Vineyard. Belle receives a phone call: “Your husband is having an affair with my wife.” At first, Belle’s husband, “James,” says that the affair meant nothing and apologizes. The next day, he announces he is leaving her. And overnight, just like that, the man she thought was so steady and caring becomes a total stranger. We go back and forth between past and present to learn about Burden’s family lore (she’s Babe Paley’s granddaughter!) and how their relationship began. The book is raw and heartfelt, with beautiful writing. But for me it didn’t feel that sad. Shocking, yes. Sad, less so. I appreciated all of the observations (for example, no longer being invited to dinner parties as she wasn’t partnered up), and some of the wild things that people said to her. It’s unflinchingly honest but (IMO) actually quite kind to her husband. You won’t be able to put it down. I read it in two evenings (both of which I stayed up way too late because I felt like I could not stop reading!!!). I really loved it.