Title: The Treatment
Author: C.L. Taylor
Published: October 19th 2017
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers Australia
Pages: 384
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Young Adult, Thriller
RRP: $19.99
Rating: 3.5 stars
My review:“You have to help me. We’re not being reformed. We’re being brainwashed.”
All sixteen year old Drew Finch wants is to be left alone. She’s not interested in spending time with her mum and stepdad and when her disruptive fifteen year old brother Mason is expelled from school for the third time and sent to a residential reform academy she’s almost relieved.
Everything changes when she’s followed home from school by the mysterious Dr Cobey, who claims to have a message from Mason. There is something sinister about the ‘treatment’ he is undergoing. The school is changing people.
Determined to help her brother, Drew must infiltrate the Academy and unearth its deepest, darkest secrets.
Award winning British author C.L. Taylor applies her successful psychological thriller format from her adult fiction novels, such as The Accident and The Lie to her latest novel. It is Taylor’s very first foray into young adult book territory and is titled The Treatment.
At the centre of The Treatment is Drew Finch, C.L. Taylor’s heroine. Drew is an introverted sixteen year old girl. Bullying has led to Drew taking solace in the online web and gaming world. The disconnection and anonymity the online community exudes provides the perfect sense of comfort to this quiet young girl. Drew’s home life is also quite fractured, she is unable to connect with her mother and stepdad. Added to Drew’s family problems are that Mason, Drew’s fifteen year old brother, has recently been expelled from school and shipped off to a reform academy. Drew almost feels relief when her troubled younger brother leaves the family fold, until a mysterious Doctor follows her on the way home from school one day. Doctor Cobey has an important message to relay to Drew, from her brother Mason. In the message, Mason claims the reform school is a ruse for an unconventional form of treatment or brainwashing that is occurring on school grounds. Drew is disturbed by this outrageous claim but for her brother’s sake, she feels she must discover if these accusations are indeed true and if they are, rescue Mason from any further manipulation.
The Treatment is the first book I have read by bestselling author C.L. Taylor. I tend to shy away from YA novels, especially those with dystopian undertones but I did enjoy The Treatment. For a YA debut it certainly rolls along quickly, with plenty of shocks, surprises and dark themes to consider.
Teenager Drew Finch is the sole narrator of The Treatment. Drew is a character that undergoes quite the transform over the progression of the novel. Initially an introverted young girl, who has retreated to the online gaming world, rather than face a reality of bullying and strained relationships, Drew makes a big shift. As the novel moves along, Drew morphs into a brave, determined, and resourceful individual, who proves to be an unstoppable force in saving her brother from the sinister ‘treatment’. C.L. Taylor carefully outlines her heroine and as a result, we learn her personality traits, thoughts, emotions and actions as the book progresses along at its fairly frantic pace. There are not a huge amount of supporting characters in The Treatment. Mason, Drew’s brother, is not explored in huge amount of detail and isn’t given a strong back story like Drew’s but he does play a pivotal force in propelling the narrative forward. The adults in the novel, from Drew’s stepdad, to the staff and doctors at the reform school, are seen as the enemy. Drew must penetrate this collective to save her brother and the other students of the school from further mind manipulation – a true deprivation of liberty. I did like how some of the lesser known characters or strangers in the novel, seemed to band together at just the right moments to help defeat the evil ‘treatment’ enforced by the reform academy.
C.L. Taylor explores some terrifying and dark themes in her inaugural YA novel offering. I would suggest this novel would be best suited to the older end of the YA reading market and I would also deem this book suitable for adult readers. Taylor puts forward plenty of issues for consideration in The Treatment. These include bullying, fractured family relations, social disconnection, mind altering and personality shaping techniques. Readers will notice there is a distinct absence of a love story or romance elements in the story, rather, Taylor works to focus the bulk of the story on the bond between the siblings, Drew and Mason Finch. These parts of the novel were quite emotional. What is most spine tingling about this novel is the fact that the main subject that Taylor puts forward is completely plausible. I could easily see the practices in the reform academy playing out in real life and as this book is set in the near future, it is a possible reality that could easily creep up on us. Taylor leaves her novel with plenty of thought provoking fodder for the reader to consider, even after the final page of this novel has been turned.
C.L.Taylor’s first YA offering is one I would not pass up, especially if you are a fan of this author’s previous work in the thriller genre. The Treatment has plenty to pitch to both older YA readers and adult readers. It is a book that really pushes the boundaries of reality and modern day thinking. The fast paced style narrative, combined with the nerve inducing writing style and Taylor’s placement of a true YA heroine at the helm of the novel makes The Treatment worthy of your attention.
The Treatment by C.L. Taylor was published on October 19th 2017 by Harper Collins Publishers Australia. Details on how to purchase the book can be found here.
To learn more about the author of The Treatment, C.L. Taylor visit here.
*I wish to thank Harper Collins Publishers Australia for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
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