The Circle by Dave Eggers

[amybo82]

I recently finished reading this book, and I was wondering if anyone else out there had read it. If so, I'd like to know your thoughts! Here are mine:

Mae Holland is excited about her new job. No more cubicle with an ancient computer and a completely inappropriate boss. She's moving up to bigger and better things. She's going to be working at The Circle! A sort of combination of Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, and Google, The Circle is an all-encompassing internet company that shapes the lifestyles of pretty much everyone in the world. At first, it's a dream job--free healthcare, free on-campus lodging, free food, and positive people all around. However, the more she gets involved with work, the more of her life she seems to lose. She soon becomes involved with a sexy, mysterious man, and she's both intrigued and a little scared. When The Circle starts to take its toll on Mae's life, will she let it take over, or will she fight back?

I loved Eggers' first book, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. I've bought most of his other books, but this is only the second of his books I've actually read. At times, I felt a little annoyed at the writing style. But, mostly, I found the story to be quite interesting. It reminded me of a combination of Facebook and Stepford Wives. It really made me think about social media, privacy, and how being too connected can be a bad thing. Interestingly, with Apple's announcement of the Apple Watch yesterday, I think the plot of the book is more likely now than ever. Even though it's a longer book, I'd recommend it to people who use social media because it really does make you take pause and consider what effect the internet has on your life.