I have had this book on my shelf forever. I’ve always thought about reading it, and then never seemed to get there. Although, having read it, I’m glad I waited. This Dave Eggers novel seems a little more relevant each year.
Mae Holland has just landed her dream job– working at the Circle. The Circle is the world’s foremost technology company. It’s essentially Google, Facebook, Twitter, and every other social media outlet rolled into one massive profile.
Mae starts off in Customer Experience. She’s essentially tech support, helping people all over the world solve day-to-day issues. While she works, she’s also expected to be zinging regularly (think tweeting), connecting with her coworkers and friends, and attending various events around the Circle campus.
The Circle’s original goal was to take away anonymity online. Internet trolls, hackers, and identity thieves would be out of a job. But that is no longer enough. Now, the goal is to set up cameras everywhere, worldwide, as well as to have people wearing cameras and documenting their every move. The new Big Brother is the Circle, and they’re always watching.
Mae becomes thoroughly caught up in the company, and a mysterious figure she keeps meeting. His name is Kalden, and he seems to appear at random, and then suddenly disappear. He has access to places on campus Mae didn’t know existed, and yet no one seems to know who he is.
The Circle has farther reaching goals than Mae had ever expected, and she ends up dead center of everything. It might be more than she can handle, but with the world watching her, she has nowhere to escape to.
This concept is insane. I get freaked out thinking my phone camera is somehow watching me, I don’t think I could handle the entire world following my every move. Privacy becomes a thing of the past.
Personally, I had a lot of unanswered questions at the end. Some of them are spoilers, so I won’t give anything away, but one of the biggest ones is, What now? (It makes sense once you get to the end of the book). It is an interesting thought though, about what the future of social media could look like.
On a side note, I picked this book up at Title Wave Bookstore. If you live in Oregon, especially in or near Portland, check them out. They sell withdrawn library books at a super cheap price. An easy and affordable way to stock up your TBR shelves!
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