Have you ever thought what’s going to happen if our world becomes more connected and more transparent than right now? With the web, social media, drones and all kind of ratings, our lives can be exposed and shown every single minute and every single step can be commented, liked or disliked. That’s what Mae Holland experiences in “The Circle” by Dave Eggers.
The Circle by Dave Eggers book review
First of all, I’ve never questioned myself if I would like or dislike to be watched and commented 24/7. That’s the main idea of “The Circle” by Dave Eggers. The novel illustrates that the era of privacy and freedom is about to be over.
Mae Holland (the main character), a 20-something millennial girl is chosen to work for ”the Circle”, a powerful internet company she has never seen before. That’s when and where her life completely changes…Her life, her friends, her free time is dedicated to the Circle. She spends almost every second of her day and night in the Circle with people from the Circle. She has a Circle account, she obtains all Circle devices through which she becomes a kind of influencer and gives her opinion on everything and everyone. She goes further and becomes transparent 24/7 – she wears a camera on her neck which disconnects only for 3 minutes while she is in the toilet.
The future of the connected society
Therefore, the toilet remains the only place where she can talk with her best friend Annie – who brought her to the Circle. This is where Annie confesses that she cannot bear any more the lack of privacy and the right to keep unpleasant facts about her life and family secret. But….Mae is so into it…She cannot imagine a life without the Circle, outside the Circle, without this advanced technology and her constant online presence. Even after her family was shown under uncomfortable circumstances, even after the death of the ex-boyfriend, even after Annie’s burn-out…Mae just cannot stop!
In addition, there is a movie based on the story released in 2017. For more information, check The Circle.
Curious to know how this story ends? Don’t just buy books! Read my “The Circle” by Dave Eggers book review.