The Great American Novel: Unsung Heroes

Jonathan Franzen's Freedom is the latest candidate for that elusive accolade, the Great American Novel. It's certainly the novel that got everyone talking, but we think there are a lot more great US writers who've remained stubbornly beneath the radar this side of the pond. So here are some of our favourites, including EL Doctorow's magical evocation of the era of Henry Ford and Harry Houdini and Walter Percy's discovery of spirituality in movies.