We had run out of small talk. The old rowboat held us up, kept us dry, soothed and dissolved, in its slow revolutions, Tess's fear of the water and my misgivings ...

So begins One Who Loves, a novel about the extraordinary conflicts that impinge on seemingly ordinary lives. Liz--passionate but reserved--takes us on her journey as she grapples with crises of love, loyalty, and the inexorable pull of sexual attraction.

Liz and Patrick. Tess and Jon. They meet at a University of Michigan co-op and quickly form a quartet "prickly with...