June/July's suggestion

Alright - in place of Anna Karenina, we have White by Marie Darrieussecq, recommended by The Guardian ("the language is stripped down but still manages to be gorgeous"). It's generally around in libraries etc, but make sure you get the one translated by Ian Monk, as opposed to a copy in the original French (unless you're Valerie and enjoy that sort of thing). It is a lot shorter than Anna Karenina, and looks to be a complete contrast to previous books, being very short, originally French, and set in the Antarctic. No school killings and not a first novel, either!