What is this strange force that has so much power over us? Why does it have to be such a big mystery? And why do we have so much trouble giving it, accepting it, making it last? We're figuring it out, piece by piece. Starting with: What makes us fall for the people we fall for, and why are we so surprised when the oh-so-perfect lover turns out to be stubborn, sloppy, unreasonable, predictable—in a word, human?
The Test: Richard M. Cohen finds sustenance in partnership
The Encounter: Have you met Ed, the EMT to be worshipped?
The Mentor: Hill Harper pays it forward
The Un-Couple: Being friends with an ex
Does It Have to Be Work? James Collins savors romance
The Bedrock: Elizabeth Strout indulges a new kind of adoration
The Other: Sharon Olds waxes poetic about selflessness

• Why do we fall for the people we fall for?
• The 40-day neediness fast
• Mary Gaitskill gets to the heart of loss

From the October 2008 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine

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