I have finally been out of my long, torturous reading slump, and this past month, I have been reading nonstop. One of my favorite books that has really made me fixated and can’t stop thinking about it even after I have finished reading it has been Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Belle Burden. This book is carefully crafted to tell the story of a once-glamorous marriage that turns out to be a woman’s worst nightmare. When I first started, I had heard some online discussion about it, but not much about what the book was really about. Now that I’m finishing it, I think every woman should read this book, as it offers critical insight into the importance of being financially literate and independent, even when married. I think a lot of women have the tendency to be codependent on their partner, both emotionally and financially, and some don’t realize the effects of what might actually happen when that marriage goes wrong. And I say this not to judge anyone because I can understand the ease of being codependent with a partner, and oftentimes, who wants to think about getting divorced when you are marrying someone? I do think women should always think about themselves a little more in situations like being legally tied to someone, as you never know. I heard these words the other day, and I find it fitting to put this in, but who you marry is not the same person you divorce. I mean, think about it, people are inevitably changing, and I think marriage firmly lasts when you can change and grow together over decades, and it’s healthy, but a lot of the time it’s hard to grow with someone you once knew at twenty-five to when you are fifty years old. In some cases, people outgrow each other, or each other’s lives no longer correspond the way they once did. Anyway, this book was five stars for me, and I could not recommend it enough.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bentley chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.