Darin Strauss’ dilemma: your alphabet or your wife?

Author, husband and father of twin boys, Darin Strauss doesn’t have time to monkey around when he needs to find a book. Which is why, during his Stacked Up interview, he pulled books off his shelves with the precision of a Dewey decimal devotee. Of course, Darin’s alphabetized library is much more than a system — it’s his gateway to his favorite authors. “I like to read authors a lot and I know their styles,” he said. He went on to explain that on any given day, he might pick up a book by Lorrie Moore to review her way of moving narrative along for “quick in-and-out of scenes.” Or, if he’s thinking about writing about Big Ideas, he re-reads favorite passages by Saul Bellow or David Foster Wallace.

In fact, right before his Stacked Up interview, Darin had been reading Wallace’s A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again.  When he tried to re-shelve it alongside Infinite Jest and Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, his wedding picture fell to the ground. We kidded him about making a choice. “What’s it gonna be, Darin. Your wife or the books?” A lesser alphabetizer might have stashed the book elsewhere (or blown it off entirely). A less conscientious husband might have moved the picture down. Darin laughed and patiently rearranged the last few books until they all fit. The framed photo he wedged in last.