Book excerpt: We don’t have all the answers—but we can help you choose a partner. Choosing a romantic partner is one of contemporary life’s biggest adventures. But other aspects of modern living—being globally more mobile, a fall in religious belief, social liberalization, and more job opportunities (but longer working hours)—mean relationships have rarely been so challenging, and so important. In How to Choose a Partner, Susan Quilliam guides us through the process of finding the right partner for us as individuals. The real challenge is that we grow. Drawing upon rich cultural material, psychology, and her background in relationship therapy, Susan presents partner choice as a journey toward self-development, driving us to learn more about ourselves, about other people, and about life and the way we want to live.