Book Release: Belle Burden's "Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage"
Schedule
Thu May 07 2026 at 06:00 pm to 08:00 pm
UTC-04:00Location
Huxley and Hiro Prose Parlor | Wilmington, DE
About this Event
Huxley and Hiro thrilled to host new literary talent, Belle Burden for an evening discussion of her debut memoir Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage! Moderated by Burden's lifelong friend and Greenville resident Laurisa Schutt, it promises to be an evening of insight and inspiration!
Book Description:
In March 2020, Belle Burden was safe and secure with her family at their house on Martha’s Vineyard, navigating the early days of the pandemic together—building fires in the late afternoons, drinking whisky sours, making roast chicken. Then, with no warning or explanation, her husband of twenty years announced that he was leaving her. Overnight, her caring, steady partner became a man she hardly recognized. He exited his life with her like an actor shrugging off a costume.
In Strangers, Burden revisits her marriage, searching for clues that her husband was not who she always thought he was. As she examines her relationship through a new lens, she reckons with her own family history and the lessons she intuited about how a woman is expected to behave in the face of betrayal. Through all of it, she is transformed. The discreet, compliant woman she once was—someone nicknamed “Belle the Good”—gives way to someone braver, someone determined to use her voice.
With unflinching honesty and profound grace, Burden charts a path through heartbreak to show the power of a woman who refuses to give up on love. Strangers is a stunning, deeply moving, compulsively readable memoir heralding the arrival of a thrilling new literary talent.
About the Author:
Belle Burden is the author of the highly aniticipated Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage, hailed by Joyce Carol Oates as "a beautifully written eulogy for the loss of a relationship" and named one of the 40 most exciting books to look forward to in 2026 by BBC Culture.
Burden was born in New York City, where she currently resides with her children. She holds a BA from Harvard College and a law degree from NYU. Currently, she is a pro bono immigration lawyer specializing in juvenile cases. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times.
About the Moderator:
An entrepreneur and nonprofit leader, Laurisa Schutt connects people, data, and politics to generate creative pathways, shift culture and scale impact from education to animal protection. Founder/ED of First State Educate and ED of Teach For America Delaware 2011 to 2023, Laurisa just completed a degree in Animal Law and is committed to eliminating suffering in the First State with animal lovers statewide. She currently serves on the board of the national Humane World Action Fund, and the advisory boards of Leadership Delaware and Spotlight Delaware.
Books will be available for purchase at the event.
Free Entrance, Registration Required
Where is it happening?
Huxley and Hiro Prose Parlor, 601 North Market Street, Wilmington, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00
