The book that's currently trending in the US: Unveiling the secrets of high-society divorce.

Revealing the secrets of divorce in high society, Belle Burden's "Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage" is one of the best-selling books this year in the US, according to The New Yorker.

Photo: Vanity Fair

Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage was released in January of this year and quickly climbed to number 1 on the New York Times' list of hardcover nonfiction books. Four months after its publication, the book remains at the top of the rankings.

On NPR's All Things Considered , host Juana Summers summarized the popularity of Strangers with the question: "Have you ever experienced that feeling where no matter who you talk to—your mother, your friends, your colleagues—they all say, 'You absolutely have to read this book'?"

Following a fierce bidding war for the film adaptation rights, Gwyneth Paltrow is reportedly set to star in and serve as executive producer for the Netflix adaptation.

Divorce is a warning sign about marital finances.

From the very first chapter, readers are transported into a highly cinematic setting. One evening at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, after the Burden family left their Tribeca apartment to quarantine at their second home in Martha's Vineyard, Burden received a phone call and discovered that her husband of 20 years was having an affair.

The next morning, the husband demanded a divorce and refused to share custody of the three children or any child-rearing responsibilities.

This setting paves the way for an emotionally charged story for female readers as they understand the devastation that comes with the end of a marriage, the panic and grief of suddenly realizing they didn't truly know their former partner.

Moreover, the author's lineage adds to the story's appeal. Burden is a descendant of railroad and shipping magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, and on his mother's side, a descendant of Henry Morgan Tilford, one of the founders of Standard Oil.

Burden comes from a billionaire family and has inherited a considerable fortune from them. Photo: Yahoo.

In Strangers , Burden also weaves a compelling story about marital finances between two people who both have their own assets.

American media outlets have hailed the book as “a great guide” to the risks women face when they step back and relinquish financial control to their husbands. In an interview with the Daily Beast , Burden said: “If there’s one takeaway from my book, it’s that I hope younger women or those of my generation will reconsider their financial lives and think about what will happen to them if the marriage ends.”

The Wall Street Journal even called Burden's memoir "a cautionary tale about naivety in financial management."

Unveiling the secrets behind divorce agreements.

But what exactly happened? The book *Strangers * and the news reports surrounding it offer a rather vague answer.

The book refers to a prenuptial agreement between the couple. Burden's husband, who was a lawyer at the time of their marriage, insisted on adding a clause to the prenuptial agreement, despite objections from Burden's lawyer.

The book was released in January. Photo: The Everymom.

This clause stipulates that all income and investments made during the marriage must remain separate, unless they are jointly owned. The couple married in 1999 and agreed to share living expenses.

However, Burden, having left her job as a lawyer to become a stay-at-home wife, has no right to claim a share of Davis's assets in the event of a divorce.

Similarly, Davis would not have the right to claim a share of Burden's assets, including any inheritance she received.

After Davis filed for divorce, Burden was shocked to discover that he had kept the income in separate accounts. Burden filed a counterclaim, but it was dismissed.

Margaret Ryznar, a visiting professor at Brooklyn Law School specializing in trusts and inheritance, argues: “Our modern conception of marriage is a partnership, and that would be reflected in the division of his income in a divorce. Burden facilitated her husband's earning of that money by taking care of the house, raising the children, and putting his career first,” while Davis played no role in creating Burden’s inheritance.

Meanwhile, Burden stated that she used most of the inheritance to buy two houses and put her husband's name on the title. As a result, Davis owned 50% of both houses and intended to claim a share.

The prospect of losing the house is a key point in Strangers . “I can’t afford to buy back Davis’s share of either house. I’ll have to sell both. My children will lose the house they love. I’ll lose what my grandparents and father gave me, and I’ll betray them. I’ll lose my financial security,” Burden shared, describing his feelings of despair and shame.

However, in the final divorce settlement, Burden was listed as the beneficiary of no fewer than five trusts. In addition to those trusts, Burden's net worth statement, filed in December 2020, also showed she had a separate account and a 6% stake in Wabco, with the total value of both exceeding $10 million . All of these assets will remain solely Burden's in the divorce settlement.

Clearly, there is much more to be said about the "truth" in Burden's memoir. In 2007, the renowned poet Mary Karr shared that personal narratives "do not describe history but only speak of memories, spaces that are inherently personalized." Readers may sympathize with Burden, but they need to recognize that memoirs are not the truth.

Source: https://znews.vn/cuon-sach-dang-hot-tai-my-khui-bi-mat-ly-hon-gioi-thuong-luu-post1653910.html