The words do not spill forth like tidal waves. Rather, Mr. Irving produces them in a slow but continuous drip. In the process, he takes possession of conversations. He has the road map, and there are detours — heavily layered anecdotes and memories that do not lend themselves to newspaper profiles, an inconvenience that is not lost on Mr. Irving, whose 16th novel, “Queen Esther,” a sprawling work of historical fiction, comes out this week.