Strangers by Belle Burden

Strangers is the story of how a seemingly happy marriage suddenly fell apart. It started with a phone call from an unknown number, which turned out to be a man saying Belle's husband was having an affair with his wife (and they had 2 toddlers at home). Belle asked her husband if it was true and he said yes, then packed a bag and left her and their 3 kids behind. After I read this book, I felt that both of them could have benefited from therapy. He had never recovered from his childhood--his family was well off then his father had a nervous breakdown, lost his job, and moved to his own apartment. His mother had to sell the family home and pinch pennies for the rest of his childhood, which made him obsess about financial security for the rest of his life. Belle was way too passive and too in love, and went along with whatever he said once they got married, often to her own financial detriment. At one point, she was offered a good job and was trying to figure out how to juggle work and childcare. When her husband found out about the job, he just said no. Then later, his divorce lawyer threw it in her face that the husband had been supporting the family for all those years while she was a stay-at-home mom. You do feel for her because she really loved him and he seemed to blow off the 20+ years they had been together.  And the worst part was that this all happened during the pandemic, so Belle couldn't even be with her family and friends for support. My favorite part of the book is at the end, when she's walking in NYC with a friend and sees her ex on the street. He gives her a big smile and a wave, like he's ready for a long chat. She says "hi" then just keeps walking, which made me feel she was finally ready for the future.