Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage is set against the backdrop of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, which caused over 7 million deaths worldwide, over a million of which occurred in the United States. For the rest of the world’s population, the pandemic was a time of severe social restrictions.

Shortly after Belle Burden; her husband, James; and their children traveled to their luxurious home on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, in the spring of 2020, the US (and much of the world) implemented mandatory restrictions and quarantine in response to the spread of COVID-19. In March, Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker issued an emergency order banning gatherings of more than 25 people and closing schools and other childcare facilities.

This time was defined by extreme isolation. Schools switched to remote learning. Offices, churches, restaurants, and community centers shut down. Social distancing was enforced; people were advised to be six feet apart at minimum. This effectively meant that nuclear families were sheltering in place without external support. Thus, when James announced that he was leaving Burden, she felt trapped: The social isolation of the restrictions was compounded by her heartbreak. However, Burden also reveled in the lockdowns because she could more easily hide her shame about James’s abandonment, finding the space to process her grief in private.