“My god, Mae thought.”

From Dave Eggers’ The Circle.

With her new job at The Circle, Mae has not only landed the job of her dreams, she has landed everyone’s dream job!  The technology company is not only changing the way people use the internet, the people at the company are constantly changing the world with new upgrades, devices, and services.  Things are overwhelming for Mae when she first starts, The Circle employees have so many amazing things available to them (all for free), so that even while answering questions in customer service, Mae is able to connect with the people of the world in ways she never imagined.  Mae quickly rises up as a star in the company and online, but her parents, ex-boyfriend, and mysterious coworker (who may or may not be a spy for another company) express concern for her involvement with the company/online community.  Through a series of events (those brief non-work moments), Mae has a hand in developing a new program where she will be “open” and wear a tiny camera so that she can share almost every aspect of her life.  Since knowledge is meant to be shared, Mae agrees and is connected to the internet/world in ways she never imagined.

This dystopian-esque novel is slightly terrifying.  The Circle company, employees, and services are reminiscent of a Facebook and Google mix, the only difference being that the world has given over control almost completely.  The characters are believable, with almost everyone transforming by the end due to various situations that took place throughout the book; they grow, succeed, fall, and change all with a uniqueness from other the characters.  The story will be frustrating for many readers; not because of writing style, but because of choices that are made and not made.  While The Circle starts light and carefree, the tone quickly changes to a story that will stick with readers for years to come.