"Homer & Langley," by E.L. Doctorow (Random House, 208 pages, $26).
DAYTON, Ohio — Do you have a difficult time discarding things? Do you hold on to stuff that other people might simply toss? You could have pack rat syndrome. In rare cases, it is hazardous.
The Colyer brothers are legendary. In 1947 they were found dead in their New York City home. Homer, the blind brother, had starved to death. Brother Langley, the pack rat, had been crushed beneath an avalanche of old newspapers. They had collected over 100 tons of junk.
A number of books have been written about the Colyer brothers. The most recent is "Homer & Langley" by E.L. Doctorow. He takes the bare bones of their story and fashions a novel.
Doctorow's fans probably expect that by now. In books like "Ragtime," Doctorow has made an art from painting historical figures onto fictional canvases.
Told from the vantage point of Homer, the blind one, the basics of the actual truth form the skeleton of the story. They were born into an affluent family. They collect mountains of stuff. They become increasingly reclusive. They finally perish amidst clutter.
Doctorow takes numerous liberties to embellish his tale. There were alterations made: the brothers' ages are reversed and Langley becomes the older one, a WWI veteran injured during a gas attack at the front. Homer goes blind more quickly. The brothers live decades longer in the novel.
These fictional devices yield opportunities to imagine various activities for our pair. They hold tea dances in their mansion, charging admission as Homer plays DJ, spinning 78's on the Victrola. Langley brings home a car and reassembles it in the house. Homer observes everything through sightless eyes.
Langley collects newspapers obsessively. He has a grand scheme to incorporate all the knowledge contained in all his newspapers to produce one massive newspaper intended to contain all information we'll ever wish to know, sort of a primitive forbear to the Internet.
The brothers have infrequent love interests that never amount to much. They appear emotionally crippled. During one glorious month in the 1960s a band of hippies moves in with them. This leads to some heady times.
They become increasingly isolated, more detached from reality. They could afford to pay their bills but Langley, who manages things for the household, refuses. Their electricity and water get shut off. The neighbors complain about this unsightly, decaying building where the Colyers live their hermit lives. Small boys throw stones at the building.
In an interview for The New York Times, Doctorow offered some thoughts on the Colyers' motivations. He said, "I almost think 'hoarding' isn't a sufficient word to describe it once it reaches that level ... it's hard to explain. There's something hopeful and optimistic about it — I think they are convinced they'll find a use for these things in the future, and so they don't want to throw anything away. They're always looking ahead."
Now isn't it about time you threw away some of that stuff? Don't put it off.
Vick Mickunas writes for the Dayton Daily News. E-mail: vick(at)vickmickunas.com.