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The Treatment

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To read the other half of our discussion, check out Lauren's post!

1. Did any of your thoughts and feelings change for any of the characters in this book? How do you feel about our new characters?
L: I think overall my feelings stayed the same for the characters. I didn't trust Realm in the first book and it seems like (overall) that stayed true in this book. I liked Dallas and Cas; I think they added something more to the story. Truthfully I might have been bored if it was just James and Sloane on the run together. I wish there was a little bit more about the characters and their backgrounds, although I think Young did a good job of showing the many different ways or reasons people end up in The Program - and why they want to escape it.

K: I agree! This book definitely got a lot more interesting because of the new characters and I loved how we were able to see how The Program affected people in different ways. I think my annoyance and distrust for Realm got even worse in this book. I really dislike how he just had no respect for Sloane and her relationship! Even if she didn't say "no," it's extremely disrespectful to make someone you "love" uncomfortable and not respect the fact that she is taken. Get over it you big jerk. I think Young did a good job describing Dallas's past but I do feel like Cas could have become such a great character if we got more development from him.

2. One thing I have noticed with this book is how little action it has and yet it is such a great read. What do you think kept you interested in this book rather than bored because of the lack of things going on?
L: I definitely agree. There was MUCH less action in this book compared to the first. The Program felt more like a thriller/mystery, where you were wondering what was going to happen next. I raced to finish that one. The Treatment definitely was a little slower for me. I wasn't bored, but there were times I was a little distracted while reading. I wasn't as engaged in this one as the first. I think the biggest thing that kept me going was wanting to see how it all ends! I feel like there was just enough suspense - I mean, they were on the run and all - to keep me interested and wondering how they were going to make it. You obviously hope that they can end The Program, but it was hard for me to imagine HOW they were going to do it.

K: I think that is what makes this duology so different from other dystopian novels is because it is so good but there is so little things going on! The Treatment definitely was slow but I was still able to go through it without being too bored, I really didn't enjoy the story line though. I think the way they ended the Program was really creative. I had no predictions for the ending but was very much hoping the Program would end and Sloane and James got their happy ending.

3. Since this was the last book of Sloane and James' story, did you feel as the ending tied up this duology or were you still left with unanswered questions? Was the ending satisfying?
L: I don't think the ending was bad. It was satisfying, in most ways, because it did kind of wrap everything up nicely. It seems like the characters ended up in a better place than they were before. I will say though that the ending was a bit anticlimactic to me. It was almost too easy for them to disband The Program? I know it was a complicated journey in trying to figure out who to trust, getting in touch with the right people (both ex-Program people and news people), but it all just kind of fell together perfectly at the end. Aside from the death of Evelyn Valentine, things really worked out almost TOO well for everyone. I'm glad there was a happier ending - I just figured it would have been more complicated than that. I actually didn't know it was the end of Sloane and James's story. I had a feeling that the prequel wasn't about them and frankly I'm excited. I really think I've learned everything I needed to know about the two of them. I like their story and how they came together, but I think it would be a bit TOO much for them to have another book - even if it happened before.

K: I agree! And you would think there would be more controversy to removing the one thing that was "helping" with the epidemic. And there is also the fact that some people may have actually liked The Program and their doings and there still may be people who are doing the treatments they did in the Program to people. The Program was such a huge thing they made have gotten rid of most of it but there will be small parts of The Program that will continue to live on. I think the ending was really nice though. It was just so nice to see Sloane and James back to normal and happy again.

4. We talked a bit of this in our Program discussion but on page 319 Doctor Evelyn says this line,"The Program is the reason the epidemic is spreading. The pressure the attention- it's causing a whole new outbreak in hopes to contain by resetting the world. The Program is breeding suicide." Do you agree with what she says and how do you feel knowing that she feels this way towards the Program. 
L: Yes, definitely. I feel like this also relates to your next question, in my opinion. I feel like it's really obvious that The Program caused more problems than it was worth. So many people entered the program BECAUSE someone close to them committed suicide, or entered The Program. That's exactly how Sloane and James ended up in it. The Program was breeding depression and suicide because it was taking away people's family members and friends. I mean, how would you feel if your best friend or sibling had no memories of you anymore? It's bound to make people crazy and/or depressed. I think it's interesting how there are two different kinds of doctors or handlers in The Program: the ones who ended up realizing how terrible it was, and those who were way too committed to it. Evelyn Valentine definitely realized early on how terrible it could be, hence her creation of The Treatment. I can see how hard it was for her to make those decisions though. Clearly The Treatment also had its drawbacks. The best course of action was definitely to shut down The Program, but I feel like The Treatment could have been administered to the victims (along with extensive therapy) to help them become themselves again. A little more on this in my questions!

K: Yup, yup, yup, agreed, agreed, agreed. We mentioned in The Program chat how it's just so much pressure it is to not slip up. It's like you're tipe roping with a broken leg and alligators are beneath you. The moment you slip up is the moment everything is over the anxiety and pressure that gives you is just going to blow you up one day and The Program is basically like that. And the thought of not being able to remember most of your past and having someone completely erased from you life is just scary. It's scary to think about and it's even scarier when it happens to you. The thought of me not me again just scares me as well. It is nice to know that not everyone went with The Program and how people like Evelyn went as far to developing a cure. The Treatment definitely would have been able to work but it did make a person so vulnerable when they did take it. It was kind of like pushing a disabled person off a cliff. They aren't ready for the fall.

5. In our last discussion you asked me whether you thought there was a deeper reason for the Program and now finishing this book, have you found that deeper reason? 
L: In some ways, I think so? I feel like Evelyn hit the nail on the head by explaining how The Program breed suicide and depression. My theory in the first book was that The Program was created to pump out this new generation of model citizens. I thought their goal was to eliminate depression and anarchy in order to keep the public in line. I don't think that's necessarily true now, after reading the second book, but I'm still wondering - what caused the epidemic in the first place? I don't think that question was fully answered. I can see how depression can hit for different reasons, but I think they jumped the gun a little in creating The Program. Evelyn was right: instead of focusing on WHY teens were getting suicidal, they just focused immediately on HOW to stop it. Like I said, I don't think my conspiracy theory is necessarily true but it wouldn't surprise me if we learn more in The Remedy!

K: The Program was definitely made to stop depression and suicide but it definitely caused it to cause more of it. I am excited to learn more about it in The Remedy. How people first reacted to the idea of The Program and how the Epidemic first came into place.  You know how they mention the Program's plans to have it mandatory for everyone to go through the Program, that is where the desire for a "perfect society" comes into play.

6. How do you think this book is different compared to other dystopians?
L: To be totally honest, I think the only dystopias I've read are this, The Hunger Games, and The Maze Runner! I don't have much to compare it on because for some reason this isn't usually a genre I gravitate towards. I think the biggest difference for me is how REAL The Program/Treatment felt. In other words, the society was pretty much exactly the same as ours except for the suicide epidemic. In The Hunger Games or The Maze Runner, it almost felt like completely different planets (obviously with some major parallels to our current world). I don't think something this crazy could happen in our time, but I think it had kind of a jarring realism that made me nervous! Have you read a lot of other dystopias? I'm curious about your thoughts on this!

K: The thing about this duology is how simple it was. There was no huge rebellion, people weren't dying left and right, and most of all there wasn't ably of fighting and guns. And this world did feel a lot like ours. They still had state names and it wasn't like America was completely gone and just a piece of land nothing. There was also the fact that most dystopian novels, the antagonist is one person. Like The Hunger Games, the antagonist is President Snow. In this book, the antagonist is the people who support, run, and protect the Program. It's weird to read about a book and see that we aren't fighting against one person, we are fighting against a group of people.

If you would like to see the rest of the chat, check out Lauren's post!