What Makes a Genius?
My latest novel, Stolen Diary, is a coming-of-age mystery about Jasmin, a young math genius.
To talk about this fictional character, I must return to my childhood, a time when I thought a person, by studying the right things, could become a genius.
As a kid, I loved to draw and paint. Birthday gifts were usually books on Italian Renaissance artists, such as Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Rafael, who created masterpieces. At first, they were children’s books and as I became older, they were full tomes, all of which I read voraciously. These brilliant artists symbolized PERFECTION.
At age nine or ten, I asked my parents if we could leave Mexico, my country of origin, and move to Italy. Intrigued, my mother wanted to know what had prompted that request.
“That’s where all the geniuses live,” I whined. “I don’t stand a chance to be a genius here.”
Of course, we never moved to Italy. Years later when I attended the University of New Mexico, my world expanded, and I discovered theoretical physicists were also brilliant and I read about famous physicists like Richard Fineman, Hans Beta, and Enrico Fermi, an Italian American. Illustrious scientists still fascinate me. They may discover, someday, the answer to the philosophical question: Why are we here?
By my university days, I realized not all geniuses were Italian, and much to my chagrin, I also realized I was not on my way to becoming one myself. That was a shattering acknowledgement!
Fast forward a few decades after I’ve left an international finance career to become a mystery writer. I was listening to a piano concert in the lobby of a graceful old hotel in Budapest, Hungry, when Jasmin came to my mind out of nowhere. I think she came into my consciousness knowing that I’ve always been fascinated by extraordinary minds, and she wanted me to tell her story.
Since I’d set my Nikki Garcia mystery series in various countries, I thought I’d place Jasmin’s story in eastern Europe. For reasons unknown to me, she kept gravitating toward Mexico, so I let her lead me there. Later, she led me to Princeton, NJ.
Although she is gifted, Jasmin’s story centers on family secrets and her pursuit of uncovering those hidden skeletons. Her mother cannot relate to her daughter’s brilliance, while her doting grandfather encourages her genius. She loves math, music, and theoretical physics. He supports her desire to build a spaceship against her mother’s wishes.
She steals her mother’s diary in hopes of finding the reasons that keep her mother distant. When it reveals nothing, she decides to hide the diary, causing a lot of family friction.
I don’t outline my plots. My characters give me the story as I write it. Jasmin revealed to me that she’s on the autism spectrum, yet I never mention that in the novel. She is the muse that inspired me to write about the challenges faced by brilliant yet socially awkward people.
She has made the full circle for me – she’s from Mexico, not Italy, and although she’s a math prodigy, she also has social issues that make her life difficult and create challenges for her.
This fictional character taught me that even geniuses are not perfect!
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Jasmin is super smart, but…
Can she deal with her disengaged mother?
When she steals a diary, she’s afraid to return it. Should she keep it?
Must she act on the secrets she discovers in the journal?
Aided by her grandfather, Jasmin retreats into a world of science and music, and while he wants her to become the next Einstein, her heart is set on gaining love and acceptance.
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I was so happy to read Kathryn's thoughts on what makes a genius. As a child I too thought I could be a genius! Reality check. Seriously Kathryn's book "Stolen Diary" takes one back to childhood imaginations and the world where all is possible. Thank you for this time capsule!
ReplyDeletePatricia, thank you for your post on thinking that you too, as a child, could be a genius! It's nice to know I was not the only young person that thought I could be a genius!!
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