GIVEN that E. L. Doctorow's new novel, “Homer & Langley,“ is a fictionalized account of the lives of the Collyer brothers, the legendary New York City hoarders, one wonders if the author is predisposed in that direction. Perhaps Mr. Doctorow was drawn to the Collyers' story in an attempt to exorcise his own clutter?

But a visit to the plain two-story home here that he shares with his wife, Helen, on a quiet street overlooking a cove, dispels that idea. The rooms are as serene as the setting; the sitting room coffee table holds only a few books stacked just so.