Envision a world where teen suicide is an inexplicable national epidemic. One in three teenagers is affected, and the explosive teen suicide rate sends the world into a panic. Adults will do anything to keep the remaining teenagers alive and well, even if it means sending them away to mental institutions to have their minds irrevocably altered.
This is the world 17-year-old Sloane lives in. She and her peers are under relentless surveillance in case they show signs of depression, despair or any other negative emotion. Teenagers who display these undesirable emotions are submitted to "The Program," where their negativity is completely expunged. Unfortunately, most of their memories of adolescence are erased as well.
Sloane and her boyfriend, James, are desperately afraid of losing their memories to The Program, and they vow to keep each other safe. However, the epidemic soon looms over them, and it is not long before they, too, fall prey to its fatal grip.
When their close friend commits suicide, James becomes inconsolable and is taken away by The Program. This spirals Sloane into her own depression. Sloane had already lost her brother to the epidemic, and her parents will do anything to keep her alive. Despite her adamant protests, Sloane is dragged from her home and forced into The Program, where she is slowly stripped of her memories. Will she be able to remember James and her past, or will her mind be completely reset?
"The Program," written by Suzanne Young, is both a New York Times bestselling novel and a Gateway Award Nominee. While there are several questions left unanswered in "The Program," this provides ample opportunity for more plot twists and excitement in the next book in the series, "The Treatment."
There are some sections in the book that are rather slow, but the fascinating plot, strong characters and resilient, sexy romance between Sloane and James more than make up for this. "The Program" is an intriguing novel that is ideal for readers who enjoy similar dystopian novels such as "Delirium" by Lauren Oliver and "Divergent" by Veronica Roth.
Kristy Bass is children's programming associate at Missouri River Regional Library.