A Member of the Family

Romanian orphans, sibling rivalry, AIDS, murder, suicide, alternative medicine, marital infidelity, religion and Long Island geography all play a part in this earnest, convoluted debut novel of family secrets and strained relations. Dentist Chris Latham and his wife, Deborah, a beautiful former photographer, have a good life in Chris's native Sag Harbor with their young daughter, Caroline. But when they decide to adopt a little boy to rescue him from Romania's horrifying orphanages, the family starts to implode. Like many Romanian orphans, 18-month-old Michael has been neglected and malnourished. He is a violent and uncontrollable toddler; eventually, he is expelled from kindergarten. Other children fear him, and their mothers shun Deborah. Caroline is attacked by her new little brother and neglected by her parents, who focus on Michael's problems. They try support groups, social workers, psychiatrists and homeopaths, but nothing tames their fierce son. As Michael destroys the Latham family, secrets about Chris's past emerge. Finally, the Lathams must choose: Can they keep Michael, or should they give him up? Merrell, author of the nonfiction Accidental Bond: How Sibling Connections Influence Adult Relationships, conveys the Lathams' anguish with insight. Though she obviously knows about the real-life dilemmas her novel depicts, she is less knowledgeable about the craft of fiction: throughout the narrative, subplots waver into loose ends; implausible or unnecessary descriptions break up the momentum; predictable asides explain what characters have been thinking; and flashbacks interrupt the plot flow. Parents dealing with difficult adoptions might find the novel helpful. Others may feel that Merrell has simply taken on too many issues at once. 5-city author tour. (Mar.)