Lake Writers and the Collyer Brothers book
I expected some of the older members of Lake Writers to identify with the Collyer Brothers book, but it was a much younger member who was intrigued, and who had read excerpts from the book. (She, as I, loved Doctorow as a writer of course.)
It's funny but not unexpected that I, at the age of 10, was one of those folks mystified by the discovery of the two brothers, both dead in the house and buried under tons of stacked newspapers, through which they had created tunnels to get through all the tons of items the one brother had hoarded.
Doctorow of course had to imagine conversations between the brothers, so he is careful to tell the reader that this is a novel, a work of fiction. Incredible...
If you are intrigued, Google 'Collyer Brothers' and you will find pictures of the exterior and interior of the house when the police came in to find out what had happened to the brothers.
It's funny but not unexpected that I, at the age of 10, was one of those folks mystified by the discovery of the two brothers, both dead in the house and buried under tons of stacked newspapers, through which they had created tunnels to get through all the tons of items the one brother had hoarded.
Doctorow of course had to imagine conversations between the brothers, so he is careful to tell the reader that this is a novel, a work of fiction. Incredible...
If you are intrigued, Google 'Collyer Brothers' and you will find pictures of the exterior and interior of the house when the police came in to find out what had happened to the brothers.
Labels: Collyer Bros, Lake Writers

