Someone to Love

An open adoption sets into motion this overwrought story. Written as a series of letters from 15-year-old Sara to the unborn child her parents are planning to adopt, the novel describes an increasingly tangled scenario. Sara, who wears Question Authority T-shirts and is aggressively vegetarian, has a combative rapport with her parents; when they decide to adopt the child of the unwed, 18-year-old Iris, Sara sets about becoming Iris's friend, even though Sara's parents do not want Iris to play an ongoing role in their lives. Following a fight with her parents, who angrily announce they don't want to adopt the baby after all, Sara runs away with Iris. The tale's credibility slips considerably as the two penniless girls find digs in a seedy section of L.A. and Sara announces she will help Iris raise her child. Sara's narration can be excessively detailed and narrow, and the epistolary format poses a strain, particularly in the upbeat conclusion, where Sara tidily distills her soap-opera-ish adventures into a string of obvious psychological insights. Despite this novel's timely subject, many will find the execution labored. Ages 12-up. (Feb.)