I had read some early mixed reviews of The Program by Suzanne Young and had been in two minds about reading it. I'm glad I did. I haven't read any of Young's work before, but she's a great writer and it shows. Typically, I shy away from "memory loss" stories because I find them annoying and frustrating - don't know why. I guess it's difficult to write a strong narrative from a first person point of view when the narrator is having memory issues. But in Young's hands, the issue is handled brilliantly. I really feel for the heroine. Some reviewers had said they thought she was whiny and annoying, but I found her complex and sympathetic. She's a young girl dealing with the death of her brother and the growing teen suicide epidemic, trying to avoid The Program i.e. the treatment for teens flagged at being suicide risks themselves. Heavy topic, but handled well here by Young.
While the book covers familiar ground - are we better off without our disturbing memories? - it does so in an engaging way. It's VERY reminiscent of the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in terms of plot, but it's a young adult version and it's set against the background of a teen suicide epidemic where the memory manipulation is not voluntary but is forced about those regarded as risks. It's a fully contained story and all the characters find their own answers to difficult questions at the end, although I have seen web rumors that there's a sequel in the works. There's a kind of romantic triangle too which is handled deftly by Young given that her characters go through various stages of memory loss and manipulation during the course of the story. A great summer read, but pretty harrowing in places so definitely not for "fun in the sun" over the summer.
While the book covers familiar ground - are we better off without our disturbing memories? - it does so in an engaging way. It's VERY reminiscent of the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in terms of plot, but it's a young adult version and it's set against the background of a teen suicide epidemic where the memory manipulation is not voluntary but is forced about those regarded as risks. It's a fully contained story and all the characters find their own answers to difficult questions at the end, although I have seen web rumors that there's a sequel in the works. There's a kind of romantic triangle too which is handled deftly by Young given that her characters go through various stages of memory loss and manipulation during the course of the story. A great summer read, but pretty harrowing in places so definitely not for "fun in the sun" over the summer.
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