Dad Had a Bad Day

A restless stay-at-home dad searches for purpose in this arresting if scattershot novel from Politanoff (You’ll Like It Here). Ned Lafferty is unhappy about losing his job, as well as the fact that his six-year-old son, Frederick, still isn’t “self-sufficient” and more closely resembles his increasingly detached wife, Loraine. When Ned pulls his old tennis racquet from the garage, he’s flooded with memories from his glory days, which ended 14 years ago, during his freshman year of college. Hoping to “live a little,” he joins the local tennis club and plays matches while Frederick is in childcare. The occasional casual game turns into heated competition after Ned is told by an old playing partner, “You can’t just play for fun once you’ve tasted glory, the kind that you’ve had.” Ned’s need to reinvent himself, his effort to make friends, and his simmering competitive streak lead to him becoming the captain of the men’s recreational summer league, and Politanoff creates tension as Ned keeps the whole thing secret from Loraine. Most of the characters are broadly sketched, but Politanoff parlays his own experience as a former D1 tennis player into brisk and technical descriptions of the sport. Despite its faults, there’s plenty here to enjoy. Agent: Chris Fischbach, Fischbach Creative. (May)