THE INNOCENCE TREATMENT
Author: Ari Goelman
Publication Date: October 17, 2017
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Pages: 304
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Description:
You may believe the government protects you, but only one girl knows how they use you.
Lauren has a disorder that makes her believe everything her friends tell her--and she believes everyone is her friend. Her innocence puts her at constant risk, so when she gets the opportunity to have an operation to correct her condition, she seizes it. But after the surgery, Lauren is changed. Is she a paranoid lunatic with violent tendencies? Or a clear-eyed observer of the world who does what needs to be done?
Told in journal entries and therapy session transcripts, The Innocence Treatment is a collection of Lauren's papers, annotated by her sister long after the events of the novel. A compelling YA debut thriller that is part speculative fiction and part shocking tell-all of genetic engineering and government secrets, Lauren's story is ultimately an electrifying, propulsive, and spine-tingling read.
2031 doesn’t seem like that long ago to me. Yet somehow a full decade has gone by since my sister’s operation.
A lot has changed since then. In 2031, the United States was still
enjoying the lull between the first and second uprisings. A drought was
drying out the last of the great western forests, but it would be
another two years before the massive wildfires that left millions
homeless and sparked the second uprising.
In the meantime, the
first uprising had receded into the distance. Back then, we didn’t call
it the first uprising, of course. We just called it “the Emergency.” It
was supposed to be a onetime event, something that would never happen
again. The power grid was back on, more or less. The government was back
to functioning, more or less. People bought the best solar panels they
could afford, and kept their garages full of fuel for their emergency
generators. Aside from that, we mostly pretended that the Emergency had
never happened. (1)
My sister wasn’t the famous Innocence Girl
yet. She was just poor, benighted Lauren Fielding, nervously awaiting
the operation that would finally “fix” her. As though she wasn’t perfect
exactly the way she was.
But that’s enough from me. I’ve pulled this book together to let Lauren tell her own story in her own words.
I hope you find that the following text offers an illuminating portrait
of one of the great heroes of our age. Lauren, if you’re reading this, I
love you.
Dr. E. Sofia Fielding, Ph.D.
London, UK
June 2041
____________________
(1) This is based on my personal recollection. For a more academic take
on the inter-uprising period in the United States, please see Margaret
Evans’s excellent retrospective, While Rome Burned (Cambridge, MA: MIT
Press, 2035).
I’m Ari Goelman. I write fantasy novels. Stories, too.
My latest novel, due out in October, 2017, is The Innocent Treatment.
Lauren Fielding is a sixteen-year-old high school student with a
cognitive disability – she believes everything her friends tell her, and
she believes that everyone is her friend. A cutting edge medical
treatment helps Lauren, but after the treatment her mental condition
soon veers into paranoia. Or does it? The Innocent Treatment comes out
in October, 2017, but in the meantime you can read (a little) more
about Lauren here. (You can also pre-order a copy here.)
My first novel, The Path of Names came out a few years ago. It’s a middle grade fantasy / murder mystery / ghost story. You can read lots more about it here. Or you could just read the book. Honestly, that’s probably a better idea.
(3) winners will receive a finished copy of THE INNOCENCE TREATMENT - US Only!
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
10/2/2017- A Dream Within A Dream- Excerpt
10/3/2017- It Starts at Midnight- Review
10/4/2017- BookHounds YA- Guest Post
10/5/2017- Savings in Seconds- Review
10/6/2017- Books at Dawn- Excerpt
Week Two:
10/9/2017- Howling Libraries- Review
10/10/2017- YA and Wine- Interview
10/11/2017- Here's to Happy Endings- Review
10/12/2017- Kendra Loves Books- Review
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