Strong Motion
The Corrections catapaulted writer Jonathan Franzen to the top of the tree, where, in the manner of literary greats, he will remain until he dies, no matter what he does or does not go on to write between now and then. He is not famous enough for me, though. He's not yet famous enough to have attracted a massive reading of his second novel, Strong Motion (1992). I've read it twice, and look forward to reading it again. It's well-matched but mismatched lover, Renée and Louis, tap into a nasty environmental hazard that gives the novel the coloration of a thriller, even though they're much too hip and well-developed (as characters) to be at home in a page-turner. Even that dissociation strengthens the book.
