The Circle

In my opinion, this book is not so much a ‘story' as it is a depiction of a dystopian world that we are all too close to becoming. I believe the author wished to exaggerate the trends in the hope that people will turn from this horrible vision. I've given this book a good rating because I see these trends, and hope that readers of this book will fight to regain some of our privacy. (How ironic is it that I'm posting on a social network, applauding a book that decries social networking?)

Before I consider crushing all my computing devices and hiding in a forest somewhere, I'd like to turn away from the political statement of the book, to discuss a couple things that struck me as weaknesses in the story. The main character, Mae, is a caricature. How can the reader be expected to believe her casual attitude toward sex with complete strangers? What sort of mental illness would cause her to willingly give up her entire identity to devote every waking hour to the company? Sorry if this offends anyone, but this character strikes me as a ‘bimbo' - easily swayed by the charisma of the cult leader to the point where she just can't think for herself.

The author also brings in an almost irrelevant story line about some deep sea creatures. They are probably only in the story so that he can say that the company is like the shark - consuming everything in its path. I was distracted from the story, wondering how these creatures who were accustomed to tremendous water pressure could survive in what was described as an unpressurised tank.