The Circle by Dave Eggers

This is a terrifying story. It's so disturbing in so many ways, yet it lacks the stereotypical components of a thriller - there's not really much suspense. It reads like a matter-of-fact piece of fiction where the world of the story is presented and we're given insight into the lives of a few characters. It's an interesting duality.

So, why am I so freaked out?

Because it could actually happen.

At the root of The Circle is the concept of privacy. Are we really entitled to it? In this technologically-driven age so we really need it? Couldn't full transparency solve all the world's problems? The employees at The Circle believe so as they endeavor to destroy everyone's right to privacy (because it's like keeping a secret from the world.) By encouraging its employees to think up and then develop new software to bring people together and/or keep tabs on certain people, the company is quickly growing into the sole owner of information, and most everyone, somehow, feels like this is a good move. This is what completely freaks me out, the idea that I could live in a world where I owned none of my own information, where I wasn't in control of who knew what about me as a private citizen. Actually...what's worse is thinking of a world where it's acceptable to demand full transparency from everyone. That expectation alone feels unethical and dangerous, not to mention a little stalkerish.

But, that's the ultimate goal of these 'circlers' - opening up the world - and Mae quickly becomes the star employee espousing this mission no matter what it costs those closest to her. From humble beginnings as a customer service rep, Mae rises in the ranks to become the first fully-transparent employee at The Circle. Wearing a camera on her chest pretty much all the time, she's only allowed to turn it on for brief periods to use the bathroom. If she takes too long, her viewers get testy. She becomes a live You Tube channel more or less giving the world insight into The Circle. 

Mae ends up taking massive swigs of the company Kool-Aid forcing transparency on her parents and ex-boyfriend in a way that makes their lives unbearable, and Mae simply can't understand why they can't handle it. Shouldn't everyone want to share every moment of their life with the world? Aren't they doing the world a disservice by keeping secrets? This mentality of the world having a right to know is taken beyond an acceptable limit with frightening consequences.

By the end of the book, I was left with the icky feeling of having just witnessed the brainwashing of an entire society all in the name of technology (and no such thing as TMI.) Getting passed the fear imposed by the subject matter, the story is a fully flushed-out journey with such a colorful variety of characters making things interesting, eventful, and surprising. This is a good read for the summer, but don't agree too much with the "great" ideas coming from 'circlers.' You don't want to complete the circle.