The Laws of Love and Logic by Debra Curtis

 "Throughout her life, Lily had been confronted with the laws of love and logic, understanding intuitively that the difference between the two was that love allowed for the impossible. She had been caught in life's daulity--in its apparent contradictions--of love and loss, of faith and science, and most of all, of darkness and light."

That quote, in a nutshell, describes this book. Lily was brought up on the grounds of a monastery where her father teaches. Her sister becomes a brilliant mathematician and a drug addict. She loves and is loved by two men in her lifetime--one represents the intense first love of youth while the other represents stability and comfort. And she has known much loss--starting with the untimely death of her brilliant, feminist mother, a loss that colors the rest of her life. It's a thought-provoking story.