This is going to be a pretty short post, but I read this amazing book the other day, and really wanted to share it with you! It’s The Circle by Dave Eggers, and once I’d started it, I couldn’t focus on anything else until I’d finished. You can buy this book here!
This book isn’t particularly new, so I’m sure a lot of you will have already read it! If you have, please leave a comment, because I’d love to hear what you thought! For those of you who haven’t heard of it, I encourage you to read this post, and then read the book!
Synopsis:
The Circle (buy here!) is a science fiction and thriller novel about a powerful fictional company called The Circle. The Circle controls everything on the internet, and eventually, everything in the world. The book follows the experiences of a woman named Mae, who through a stroke of incredible luck, secures a competitive job working for this organisation. The Circle quickly consumes her, completely changing her life and eventually her character.
My thoughts:
It’s a compelling novel that follows a woman’s progression from humanity to monstrosity. It encourages the reader to reflect on how possible or impossible that process is, through the extremity of the world it presents. Mae lets go of her individuality without regret, becoming a one-dimensional character, a fascinating subversion of a typical novel, in which characters become more dimensional as the story progresses.
The reason I loved this book so much is because it completely engaged me. I found myself wanting to be able to speak to Mae, force her to make different choices. I found myself wondering what I would do in her situation… I considered how brave I am, how easily influenced I am. The ending left me shaken, and in an extreme state of self-reflection.
I think that although the events and conclusion of The Circle seem improbably, they do not seem impossible. Many reviews critique the book for the extremity of the world it presents, but I think that extremity is what makes it so powerful. I think you should read it to consider how our reality sometimes overlaps with the extremity of The Circle, so you can decide for yourself how realistic or unrealistic it really is.
The Circle reminded me a lot of Animal Farm by George Orwell. Their messages regarding power abuse and technology are very similar, although of course The Circle is written in a far more modern and recognisable format (Animal Farm is an allegory).
Favourite or forgettable?
The verdict is … FAVOURITE! I’d definitely recommend you read The Circle: it’s engaging, thought-provoking and an entertaining read.
If you loved this, read this:
- Animal Farm by George Orwell [a classic with a similar message] (buy here!)
- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline [sci-fi about an alternate gaming reality] (buy here!)
- Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell [post-apocalyptic novel that connects 6 stories together] (buy here!)
My future related reads:
- Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (buy here!)
- A Hologram for the King by Dave Eggers (buy here!)
- Neuromancer by William Gibson (buy here!)
My YouTube review:
Note the amazon purchase links in this post are affiliate links. This means that, should you purchase the books through my link, I earn a very small commission! You don’t pay any extra!