Love and Reruns in Adams County

The failures and disappointments of young adulthood stand out against a desolate landscape of midwestern highways and franchise culture in this understated, funny and sad first novel. When former high school baseball star Lon Peterson returns to Adams County, Ohio, in 1985 for his father's funeral, his professional sports career and his marriage to ex-cheerleader Pamela (now a counter girl at a nearby McDonald's) have both failed. Among the other deftly drawn characters are Pamela's unemployed second husband Bobby, who drives hundreds of miles collecting antique toys most people consider junk, and Lon's new girlfriend Crystal, who is repelled by her husband's recent hand amputation and considers her situation from inside a locked bomb shelter while her friend Anita dabbles in white witchcraft. Spencer ( Spying on Lovers ) uses flashbacks to trace these individuals' paths to their present tribulations. He vividly and convincingly renders the Adams County milieu and peoples it with complex, sympathetic men and women striving to overcome their frustrations. Although the lack of a denouement is initially unsatisfying, it leaves readers rooting for the memorable, persevering characters. (Feb.)