Belle Burden became an instant New York Times bestseller after her book, Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage, was published in January 2026 — and even nonreaders can’t get enough of this story.
“In Strangers, Burden revisits her marriage, searching for clues that her husband was not who she always thought he was,” the book’s description reads. “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.”
Burden wed now-ex-husband Henry Davis in June 1999. They share three kids. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Burden discovered that Davis was having an affair — and that he was leaving her.
“I was with my husband and our two daughters at our house on Martha’s Vineyard. It was the second week of COVID lockdown in March 2020,” Burden told Katie Couric in a January 2026 interview. “We cooked, took walks and built fires. I felt safe and secure. Then I received a phone call from a man who said, ‘Your husband is having an affair with my wife.’”
Davis was initially “apologetic,” Burden recalled, but things changed.
“By the next morning, he was ice-cold,” Burden said. “He told me he wanted a divorce, walked out of our house and left the island. I thought we were very happily married, so it was a terrible, horrifying shock.”
Keep scrolling for everything to know about Burden:
Who Is Belle Burden?
Burden is a pro bono immigration attorney who turned into an author, publishing her memoir, Strangers, in January 2026. She told Couric that same month that she plans to continue a writing career.
“I’m trying fiction,” Burden said. “It’s a lot harder.”
How Did Belle Burden’s Marriage to Henry Davis End?
Burden got a call saying that her husband was having an affair. The next morning, he asked for a divorce.
“I was stunned because I honestly thought it would be my decision to make, whether we would stay married or not, but it was not going to be my decision,” Burden said on The New York Times’ “Modern Love” podcast in January 2026. “It was going to be his decision. I looked at him, and in that moment, he seemed very, very different to me. His eyes looked different. The warmth had gone.”
Burden claimed that Davis told her, “You can have custody of the kids. You can have the house and the apartment. I don’t want any part of this life anymore.”
What Is Belle Burden and Henry Davis’ Custody Agreement?
Burden has sole custody of her and Davis’ three kids, despite offering a 50-50 custody split in their divorce agreement.
“I wanted the kids to go back and forth in whatever way we decided, split holidays and vacations. He sent it back blacklined with all of his time taken out. He did not want them to have to go back and forth,” she said on the “Modern Love” podcast. “That really shocked me when I got that custody agreement back with all of the time taken out. And that was very painful.”
He’s still “very sweet” with the kids, she claimed, noting they will “occasionally” see Davis.
Is Belle Burden and Henry Davis’ Divorce Finalized?
Their divorce was finalized in October 2021.
Is Belle Burden in a New Relationship After Her Divorce?
Burden told Couric that she is “open” to finding love again.
“The universe hasn’t delivered it, perhaps because I’m a bit guarded and focused on the kids and this book. But who knows?” she added. “I know I don’t want to get married again or intertwine myself with someone financially. But there are a lot of other ways to have a relationship.”
What Has Henry Davis Said About Belle Burden’s Book?
Davis released a statement to The New York Times when Burden appeared on the “Modern Love” podcast in January 2026.
“While I disagree with many of her recollections, as well as her overall mischaracterization of my relationship with my children, I do not wish to comment in more detail in order to protect them from further violations of their privacy other than to say that I continue to lovingly support, and be lovingly supported by, my children,” he said.
Is Belle Burden’s Book Being Adapted Into a Movie?
Variety reported in March 2026 that Netflix won the rights to Strangers after a heated auction. Gwyneth Paltrow is set to star in and executive produce the film.
