Epidemic of Despair

In a near-future Oregon, teen suicide has become a national epidemic, killing one in three adolescents. The cause is unknown, but the government's response is swift and severe: The Program, a controversial treatment that erases painful memories, is implemented as the only known cure. Sloane Barstow, the protagonist, lives in constant fear of being flagged as "sick" and sent away. The loss of her brother Brady to suicide haunts her, and the pressure to appear happy is suffocating. The community is gripped by paranoia, and every sign of sadness is suspect. Sloane, her boyfriend James, and their friends Miller and Lacey struggle to maintain the facade of wellness, knowing that any slip could mean losing themselves forever.

Surveillance and Suppression

The Program's reach extends into every aspect of Sloane's life. Daily emotional assessments, school handlers, and parental vigilance create an atmosphere of suspicion. Students are encouraged to report each other, and even family bonds are strained by the threat of institutionalization. Sloane's friend Kendra is forcibly removed from class, a chilling reminder of the consequences of being "flagged." The trauma of witnessing friends disappear, and the knowledge that returners come back hollow and forgetful, intensifies Sloane's anxiety. The only safe space is secrecy, but even that is fragile.

Love in the Shadows

Sloane and James's relationship is both a lifeline and a liability. Their love, forged in the aftermath of Brady's death, is a secret act of resistance against a system that pathologizes grief. They find solace in stolen moments—under bleachers, at the river, in whispered promises. But the threat of The Program looms over them, and the need to hide their true feelings becomes a source of tension. Their friend Miller, devastated by Lacey's erasure, spirals into despair, highlighting the contagious nature of both love and loss in this world.

The Program's Grasp

When Miller succumbs to the epidemic and takes his own life, the trauma pushes James over the edge. He is flagged and forcibly taken into The Program, leaving Sloane alone and vulnerable. Soon after, Sloane herself is betrayed by her parents and committed. Inside The Program, she is subjected to therapy sessions, heavy medication, and the systematic erasure of her memories. The process is both clinical and dehumanizing, reducing her identity to a set of symptoms to be "cured." Sloane clings to fragments of her past, desperate to hold onto the love and pain that make her who she is.

Erased and Reborn

After weeks of treatment, Sloane is released, her memories of Brady, James, and her trauma supposedly wiped clean. She returns home to a sanitized life, surrounded by new clothes, new routines, and parents who are relieved but distant. At her new school for returners, Sloane meets Lacey—her former best friend, now a stranger. The world is full of people who know her, but whom she cannot remember. The fog of medication and the pressure to assimilate make her question what, if anything, is real.

Memory as Resistance

Despite The Program's efforts, Sloane experiences flashes of memory—an old ring, a hidden photograph, a sense of déjà vu around James. These fragments become acts of resistance, proof that the self cannot be fully erased. Sloane's growing connection with James, who also survived The Program, is fraught with confusion and longing. They are drawn to each other by an inexplicable bond, even as the details of their shared past remain elusive. The possibility of reclaiming their memories becomes a source of hope and danger.

The Cost of Survival

Sloane navigates a world where survival means compliance. She must lie on daily assessments, avoid emotional outbursts, and distance herself from those she loves. The returners are watched for signs of relapse, and any deviation from the norm is grounds for re-commitment. Sloane's relationship with her parents is strained by their complicity in her erasure. The cost of survival is the loss of authenticity, the suppression of grief, and the constant threat of being sent back to The Program.

Fractured Friendships

The epidemic and The Program have decimated Sloane's circle of friends. Lacey, once her confidante, is now a stranger. Miller is dead, and James is a ghost of his former self. New friendships, like the one with Realm—a handler embedded as a patient—are complicated by secrets and hidden agendas. Realm's affection for Sloane is genuine, but his role as both protector and manipulator blurs the line between care and control. The bonds that once defined Sloane's life are fractured, and trust is a scarce commodity.

Forbidden Attachments

Sloane and James's rekindled relationship is an act of defiance against a system that seeks to erase love as a source of pain. Their connection, though stripped of shared memories, is undeniable. They rediscover each other through instinct, chemistry, and the remnants of emotion that The Program could not destroy. Their love becomes a reason to fight, to remember, and to hope for a future beyond surveillance and suppression. But every moment together is a risk, and the threat of being flagged is ever-present.

The Truth About Loss

As Sloane pieces together her past, she learns the truth about Brady's suicide and her own role in the aftermath. The revelation that her parents lied to her, and that The Program's "cure" is built on denial, forces Sloane to confront the reality of loss. Grief, she realizes, is not a sickness to be erased but a part of being human. The pain of remembering is preferable to the emptiness of forgetting. Sloane's struggle becomes not just about survival, but about reclaiming the right to mourn, to love, and to be whole.

Breaking the Cycle

With the help of Realm and Lacey, Sloane and James plot their escape from The Program's reach. They discover a network of rebels and sympathizers who believe in the power of memory and the necessity of pain. The decision to run is both terrifying and liberating. Sloane is given a choice: to take a pill that will restore her memories, or to leave the past behind and start anew. The cycle of erasure and relapse is broken not by compliance, but by the assertion of agency and the refusal to be defined by fear.

Choosing to Remember

Sloane's ultimate choice is whether to reclaim her erased memories, with all their attendant pain and love, or to remain in the safety of ignorance. The orange pill, a gift from Realm, represents the possibility of wholeness—but also the risk of being overwhelmed by grief and guilt. Sloane chooses not to take the pill, at least for now, deciding that the present—her love for James, her hope for the future—is enough. The act of choosing is itself an assertion of selfhood, a rejection of The Program's logic.

On the Run

With the authorities closing in, Sloane and James, aided by Lacey and Realm's allies, flee Oregon. They become fugitives, hunted by a system that cannot tolerate the messiness of real emotion. Their journey is uncertain, but it is also a reclamation of freedom and possibility. The past is not fully restored, but the future is theirs to shape. The act of running is both an escape and a declaration: they will not be erased.

The Only Real Thing

In the end, Sloane realizes that the only real thing is the present—the love she shares with James, the friendships she forges, the memories she chooses to keep. The Program's promise of safety through erasure is a lie; true healing comes from facing pain, not forgetting it. Sloane's story is one of resilience, agency, and the enduring power of memory. The fight is not over, but she is no longer alone or powerless. The future, uncertain as it is, belongs to those who refuse to be erased.

Characters

Sloane Barstow

Sloane is the emotional core of the novel—a teenager traumatized by her brother's suicide and the loss of her friends to both death and The Program. She is fiercely loyal, deeply sensitive, and constantly at war with a system that equates grief with illness. Sloane's journey is one of self-discovery and resistance: she fights to hold onto her memories, her love for James, and her right to feel pain. Her psychological complexity is rooted in her struggle to reconcile the need for survival with the desire for authenticity. Sloane's development is marked by increasing agency, as she moves from passive victim to active resister, ultimately choosing her own path.

James Murphy

James is Sloane's boyfriend and emotional anchor. Once Brady's best friend, he is devastated by the epidemic and the loss of those he loves. James is witty, rebellious, and fiercely protective of Sloane, but he is also deeply wounded—his bravado masking profound vulnerability. The Program's erasure leaves him hollow, but his connection with Sloane endures, suggesting that love can survive even the most aggressive attempts at suppression. James's psychological arc is one of rediscovery and healing, as he learns to trust, to hope, and to fight for a future with Sloane.

Realm (Michael Realm)

Realm is a handler embedded as a patient, tasked with monitoring and guiding Sloane through The Program. His affection for Sloane is genuine, but his role as both protector and agent of the system creates a deep ambivalence. Realm is resourceful, charming, and emotionally intelligent, but his actions are often compromised by his obligations to The Program. He represents the moral gray area between care and control, and his ultimate sacrifice—giving Sloane the choice to remember—marks him as both a betrayer and a redeemer.

Lacey Klamath

Lacey is Sloane's former confidante, now a returner with no memory of their friendship. Her transformation from vibrant rebel to compliant returner is a chilling illustration of The Program's power. Yet, as she and Sloane reconnect, Lacey becomes a source of solidarity and resistance. Her willingness to question the system and help Sloane escape marks her as a survivor who, despite erasure, retains a spark of her former self.

Miller

Miller is the embodiment of the epidemic's toll—a loyal friend undone by grief and the loss of Lacey. His suicide is a turning point in the novel, propelling both Sloane and James toward The Program. Miller's fate underscores the novel's central question: is it better to feel pain or to feel nothing at all? His memory haunts Sloane, a reminder of what is at stake in the fight against erasure.

Brady Barstow

Brady's suicide is the original wound that shapes Sloane's journey. His presence lingers in memories, photographs, and the ache of loss. Brady's death is both a personal tragedy and a symbol of the epidemic's reach. The revelation that Sloane and James were present at his death adds layers of guilt and complexity to their relationship, making the act of remembering both necessary and dangerous.

Sloane's Parents

Sloane's mother and father are loving but complicit in her erasure. Their fear of losing another child leads them to prioritize safety over authenticity, making them both sympathetic and culpable. Their relationship with Sloane is marked by secrecy, denial, and the painful limits of parental protection in a world where grief is criminalized.

Kendra Phillips

Kendra's removal from school is one of the first and most traumatic illustrations of The Program's methods. Her fate serves as a warning to Sloane and her friends, and her absence is a constant reminder of the stakes of noncompliance.

Roger (Handler)

Roger is a handler who abuses his power, exploiting vulnerable patients for personal gain. His actions highlight the dangers of unchecked authority within The Program and the ways in which institutional power can be weaponized against the very people it claims to protect.

Anna (Realm's Sister)

Anna appears late in the novel as a conduit for Realm's final act of care—delivering the memory-restoring pill and instructions for escape. She represents the possibility of solidarity and resistance within and beyond The Program.

Plot Devices

Dystopian Surveillance State

The novel's setting is a near-future society where the state monitors and regulates emotional expression, equating sadness with sickness. Surveillance is both literal (handlers, daily assessments) and psychological (peer and parental monitoring), creating an atmosphere of paranoia and mistrust. This device amplifies the stakes of every emotional interaction and drives the characters' need for secrecy and rebellion.

Memory Erasure as Cure

The Program's central mechanism is the erasure of traumatic memories, presented as a medical cure for the epidemic of suicide. This device raises profound questions about the nature of identity, the value of pain, and the ethics of forced forgetting. The process is depicted as both clinical and brutal, stripping characters of their histories and relationships.

Love as Resistance

Sloane and James's relationship is both a source of vulnerability and a form of resistance. Their love, repeatedly threatened by erasure, becomes a testament to the persistence of the self. The novel uses romance not as escapism, but as a battleground for autonomy and memory.

Fragmented Narrative and Flashbacks

The novel's structure mirrors Sloane's psychological state—fragmented, nonlinear, punctuated by flashes of memory and moments of clarity. This device immerses the reader in the uncertainty of erasure and the struggle to piece together a coherent self.

The Choice to Remember

The orange pill, offered to Sloane at the climax, is a literalization of the choice between remembering and forgetting. This device foregrounds the novel's central ethical dilemma: is it better to live with pain or to live without the past? The act of choosing becomes an assertion of agency in a world designed to deny it.

Foreshadowing and Symbolism

Items like the purple ring, hidden photographs, and the game of Bullshit serve as symbols of memory and resistance. They foreshadow the persistence of the self and the possibility of reclaiming what has been lost.

Analysis

The Program is a powerful exploration of the costs of emotional suppression in a society obsessed with safety and control. Suzanne Young's novel interrogates the ethics of erasure, asking whether a life without pain is truly worth living. Through Sloane's journey, the book argues that grief, love, and even suffering are essential to identity and humanity. The Program's promise of a "cure" is revealed as a form of violence, one that robs individuals of their histories and connections. The novel's relevance is heightened in an era of increasing surveillance, mental health crises, and debates over the medicalization of emotion. Ultimately, The Program is a call to resist the forces that would make us numb, to fight for the right to remember, and to find meaning in the messy, painful, beautiful reality of being alive.

Last updated: May 18, 2025