I did a lunch talk last week at a law firm, we discussed democracy and getting involved and all that jazz – but when I brought up Belle Burden’s Strangers, the room lit up. People had things to SAY.
EVERYONE BUZZED: Did you read the New Yorker piece?
A few weeks ago, I wrote a piece called “Strangers Is Book Club Final Boss” where I laid out my ten hottest takes on Belle Burden’s memoir. I said it was the first book in years that gave me seven hours of listening and then seven more hours of delicious debriefing with my book club.
And now, in the chit-chat gift that keeps on giving, the New Yorker published an article by Jessica Winter that gives us more details on Burden’s financial situation. My group chat is pretty hardcore in the Emily Gould camp (with a sprinkling of *reminder he wanted barely anything to do with their children!!*) (They insisted I put this up front. I <3 you girls)
I am of the camp that Belle left out some dispositive information, and I think the fundamental plot drivers are on shakier ground. (I still think he SUCKS, to be clear. I’m hardcore against CHEATERS. See also, recently political news in re: Maine.)
Looking back, it’s interesting what I wrote in my first article:
My take is that the book is one person’s truth, shaped by memory and emotion and the craft of storytelling, of something that happened. Every memoir compresses timelines and sharpens details and emphasizes certain things while minimizing others. That’s not dishonesty, that’s the form. The question isn’t “is every detail perfectly accurate” but “is the emotional truth of the experience being honored?” And for me, it is.
But, so we’re all working from the same set of facts, here’s what the New Yorker reported:
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At the time of her 1999 prenup, Burden listed approximately $63 million in total assets, including interests in at least five trusts.
