Lorenzo clearly has a difficult relationship with his family—and people in general. Do you know anyone like him? Do you think his abrasiveness has more to do with his upbringing, or was that just the way he was born?

Lorenzo clearly has a difficult relationship with his family—and people in general. Do you know anyone like him? Do you think his abrasiveness has more to do with his upbringing, or was that just the way he was born?

Lorenzo had felt abandoned as a child when sent to the advanced school. He didn't realize that his parents were offering a wonderful opportunity because of his intelligence. However, feeling abandoned and being "parented" by a loveless and judgmental grandmother instilled a very cold and arrogant view of the world. He hides his loneliness behind a cold exterior. He felt like an outsider in his own family because he hadn't been a real part of them for so many years. I like to think that improves as time goes on,

Luckily, I don't have anyone close to me that has Lorenzo's personality. I thought a lot about his 'abrasiveness' and how this may have developed in him. I was even able to sympathize with him a bit about his lonely upbringing. His other family members seem so nice and fun to be around. So, I thought maybe his grandmother's personality was abrasive and he developed his personality from his grandmother, or maybe his personality was developed by the private school he was attending.

Lorenzo is extremely intelligent, and seems to want to help his family, yet he also seems to be so generous as a means of control and acceptance.

Lorenzo did feel abandoned by his parents when he was sent to a school for intellectually gifted, but they thought it was best for him. However, the result of this was he never felt close again. With regards to my family one distant relative kicked their child out of their family, but the grandparents took the child in, and they have done very well.

The only family member who Lorenzo was close to was Noni - the only one he believed actually "saw" him and loved him. He was extremely lonely.

He loved his brother and while it seemed cruel that he seduced his brother's girlfriend to expose her as a gold digger, he was right about her motives and did save him future grief.

His paying for everything was a cry to finally be appreciated, accepted and loved by his family - who instead, continued to push him away and mock him for his "snobbery."

I have a relative who was sent away to school at a young age in a similar situation. He never really forgave his family for what seemed to him like an abandonment. Yes, he understood the educational advantages, but the loss overpowered that in the end. I think Lorenzo felt the same way. He was sent away from home. The reason doesn't really erase that reality. It is enough to make anyone build walls and defensive barriers around their heart.

Not personally however I have worked with clients who have difficulty relating to others.

I truly believe that personalities are born. They can be shaped somewhat by upbringings, but that personality remains with a person throughout life. Dr. Lorenzo Santini is not a fully developed character in the story. We need to know more about him.

I have known people who were somewhat like Lorenzo -- socially awkward, ill-at-ease in social situations, and abrasive yet highly intelligent, extremely successful professionals. Extremely bright and gifted children often have a hard time fitting in with their peers. In Lorenzo's case, his issues were magnified when he was sent away to a special school where he was undoubtedly surrounded by other kids like him. He felt resentful and abandoned by his family because he was unlike his siblings, even though they clearly love him. Their teasing comes across in the book as good-natured, but I believe Lorenzo found it hurtful and exacerbated his lack of confidence. He learned to over-compensate by being supremely confident as a physician and surgeon, and his extreme success made things worse over time. Hopefully, following his grandmother's death and repairing his relationship with Dante, in addition to Lark's insights, he can have a happier future.

I would guess that Lorenzo could be diagnosed as high-functioning Asperger's. I have known a few people socially that could have some of these behaviors but they tend to stay to themselves.