The Elements of Hitting

The protagonist of this ultimately disappointing novel is Walter Innis, pushing 40, the son of Victor, a former pitching phenom who blew out his arm just before being called up to the majors. Chapters alternating between Walter's adult and childhood lives in a small upstate New York town, reveal that he has been permanently scarred by his father's abuse and his mother's suicide, which followed her son's discovery of her infidelity. By 1984, when the book's present-day action occurs, Walter's wife is suing him for divorce; his father is dying in a convalescent home; and he's just lost his job at a used-car dealership. Then, as he hits bottom, he reunites with his high school sweetheart, Jeannie. She's gained quite a few pounds, to be sure, and her young son Billy is a little sullen, but that's okay by Walter. He signs on to coach Billy's Little League team and soon is sufficiently recovered to hatch a plot to blackmail the rich local politician he's always blamed for his mother's death. Though this is only his second novel, Jones ( The Cooter Farm ) has already achieved a mature style, entertaining and full of nuance. Unfortunately, his themes aren't always as well developed as his prose; the title's implied connection between physical abuse and batting is particularly trite. (Apr.)