“A Doubter's Almanac” by Ethan Canin – The Painful Price of Genius
It goes without saying that geniuses of all kinds are strong driving factors in technological, economic, social and spiritual progress, constantly pushing the boundaries and achieving what was thought impossible.
However, what most people in this world ignore is that things seldom come for free, and such a wondrous gift as being a genius often demands a heavy price to be paid, one Ethan Canin explores in A Doubter's Almanac.
The story begins with the introduction of Milo Andret, a boy living in Northern Michigan with an innate ability to discern various patterns. At thirteen years of age, he crafts a 25-foot wooden chain from a tree, showing early on signs of his superior intellect.
Eventually, he manages to become a doctoral candidate at Berkely, and after finding the solution to a famous math problem, a Malosz Conjecture, he is awarded the Fields Medal as well as a job at the University of Princeton.
However, as Milo enters the stunning world of California things began to take a turn for the strange. He begins a love affair with woman named Cle who finally rejects him, as well as a very close friendship with liquor... a friendship that keeps on blossoming. At Princeton, Andret is faced with solving another famous math problem, but the wild life of sleeping around and substance abuse isn't making it easy for him.
The second half of the book takes us later into Milo's life and is told from the perspective of his son, Hans, who shares his father's genius burden. Andret is now working as a teacher in a small college in Ohio, his drinking his spiraled out into alcoholism, and his ways as a father and a husband leave all too much to be desired, as he is often cruel and neglectful.
As things stand, his son seems to be doomed to travel down the same path as his father, mixing indiscriminately genius and self-destructiveness... but perhaps there is some other way out there to find happiness, for Milo, Hans, and the whole family?
As you can most certainly tell from this overview of the story, the main subject matter discussed here is the intellectual quality of being a genius and what kinds of consequences it entails for the person. As is well known, people of immense talent are often known to flirt with madness in their own ways, giving themselves up to a progressive self-destruction.
Kloos attempts to shed some light on the phenomenon, which in turn makes for some very interesting segments where we get to observe and ponder on what's happening in Milo and Hans' heads. The author tries to comprehend the world on the same level as they do.
Though a whole lot of focus is placed on character development and the exploration of the double-edged sword that is genius, the story itself about the path travelled by the characters is quite appealing in itself, especially in its realism.
In the end, A Doubter's Almanac is a most interesting novel exploring a phenomenon that is in equal measures wonderful, captivating and tragic. It is a slower kind of novel that focuses more on the characters' thoughts than their actions, and as such is not for strictly-said for everyone.
However, if you don't shy away from slower-paced stories with a lot of depth to them, then you most certainly ought to give this book a read; it will likely stay with you for a while.
 | Ethan CaninPersonal site Ethan Canin is an American educator, physician and author who is part of the faculty of the Iowa Writer's Workshop at the University of Iowa. Amongst the numerous awards he received are the 2010 Guggenheim Fellowshop, the 1994 California Book Award/Gold Medal in Literature, and the 1994-1996 Lyndhurst Prize. His most highly-acclaimed works include Blue River, The Palace Thief and America America. |
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