I do feel like I can speak to the Belle Burden of it all, as someone whose husband just walked out on her. Everyone is recommending this memoir to me. I am not going to read it because I am 1.) living it, and 2.) extremely salty that my own eventual divorce memoir, my obvious and only path to riches, clearly destined to become a bestseller as soon as I get around to writing it, now has to compete with this behemoth written by someone who was already damned rich. Unless she wants to give me a blurb.
On the plus side, if anyone comes at your memoir (which I already want to read) with a 'your privilege is showing' (which comes for all, no matter the circumstances) you can refer them to Strangers and be like, not compared to that lady!
Ohhh, I'm very intrigued by the idea of a fictional equivalent of Strangers, where the characters are allowed to be uglier and more complex than we allow in nonfiction. Although it would still be so transparently based on reality that people would probably attack her for it anyway.
The NYer article made me think of you. It was up your alley (or your first book's alley) when she essentially had to keep saying "I said I was privileged!!!" And I had the same take as you: she's richer than a good WASP like her would admit (for which I'm happy for her), but I can see that she *felt* vulnerable and at-risk when it looked like her husband was going to screw her on the properties.
> The tip-off that nobody had invited me on Irish radio [...] was the request for money, but also the CURRENCY mentioned. Why dollars? Which dollars, even?
Rookie mistake! They shoulda asked for something more specific. You know, like Bed Bath & Beyond gift cards.
Re Belle Burden, It really shocked me to see how many women are willing to argue that Burden was right to drag the father of her children to court in order to get even more of his money, when 1) she has more money than she will ever need, and 2) if the New Yorker is correct, she signed a prenup explicitly stating each person would keep their marital income.
SO MANY women are like "but he was Bad to leave, therefore he deserves to suffer, who cares what she promised!"
I do feel like I can speak to the Belle Burden of it all, as someone whose husband just walked out on her. Everyone is recommending this memoir to me. I am not going to read it because I am 1.) living it, and 2.) extremely salty that my own eventual divorce memoir, my obvious and only path to riches, clearly destined to become a bestseller as soon as I get around to writing it, now has to compete with this behemoth written by someone who was already damned rich. Unless she wants to give me a blurb.
On the plus side, if anyone comes at your memoir (which I already want to read) with a 'your privilege is showing' (which comes for all, no matter the circumstances) you can refer them to Strangers and be like, not compared to that lady!
I will be the "Girls" to her "Sex and the City"!
Ohhh, I'm very intrigued by the idea of a fictional equivalent of Strangers, where the characters are allowed to be uglier and more complex than we allow in nonfiction. Although it would still be so transparently based on reality that people would probably attack her for it anyway.
The NYer article made me think of you. It was up your alley (or your first book's alley) when she essentially had to keep saying "I said I was privileged!!!" And I had the same take as you: she's richer than a good WASP like her would admit (for which I'm happy for her), but I can see that she *felt* vulnerable and at-risk when it looked like her husband was going to screw her on the properties.
> The tip-off that nobody had invited me on Irish radio [...] was the request for money, but also the CURRENCY mentioned. Why dollars? Which dollars, even?
Rookie mistake! They shoulda asked for something more specific. You know, like Bed Bath & Beyond gift cards.
speaking of being extraordinarly rich and still not happy https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/26/jonathan-andic-mango-steps-down-father-isak-death
Re Belle Burden, It really shocked me to see how many women are willing to argue that Burden was right to drag the father of her children to court in order to get even more of his money, when 1) she has more money than she will ever need, and 2) if the New Yorker is correct, she signed a prenup explicitly stating each person would keep their marital income.
SO MANY women are like "but he was Bad to leave, therefore he deserves to suffer, who cares what she promised!"
So interesting