Novelist from France's main housing trouble (6)
I believe the answer is:
mailer
'novelist' is the definition.
(Norman Mailer, 1923-2007)
'france's main housing trouble' is the wordplay.
'france's main' becomes 'mer' ('sea' in French - the main can mean the sea).
'housing' indicates putting letters inside.
'trouble' becomes 'ail' (synonyms).
'mer' placed around 'ail' is 'MAILER'.
'from' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for mailer that I've seen before include "novelist" , "person at the post?" , "One putting armour on" , "Norman --, US author" , "writer from America" .)