Waiting on Wednesday: The Program

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

The Program
Suzanne Young

Expected Publication Date:  April 30th 2013 (FIXED)

Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. 

With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in.

And The Program is coming for them

Why:
For some reason I really like the idea of dystopian societies thinking emotion is bad. That's part of the reason I enjoyed Delirium. But in this case I also think that with the rise of people addressing suicide and depression considered being rampant nowadays, I don't see something like this being so farfetched as a futuristic problem (you could say that in Japan this is already a national crisis that they keep trying to help with). I also really like Young's stylistic way of writing and I wonder how it will go with a plot like this.