Her hit divorce memoir may not have told the whole story. Maybe it doesn’t matter

PremiumClare McHughWashington Post·9 Jun, 2026 02:00 AM8 mins to read'Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage' grew out of a viral essay in The New York Times in which Belle Burden documented, in 1500 words, the painful breakdown of her marriage. Photo / 123RFQuestions have arisen about Belle Burden’s best-selling work, but female readers are defending it anyway.

All the best memoirs resemble novels. They progress along a powerful arc: an inciting incident is followed by rising action, leading to a climax when, at the peak of narrative tension, the characters confront and,