Tired of wondering what could happen to our world one day when technology becomes a part of our constant need? This puzzling question can now be explored by reading The Circle by Dave Eggers.

BOOK REVIEW:  The Circle Watches All

By ROB PETRARCA

Tired of wondering what could happen to our world one day when technology becomes a part of our constant need? This puzzling question can now be explored by reading The Circle by Dave Eggers. The book was published by Alfred A. Knopf on  October 18, 2013, and has 497 pages.

The story revolves around a woman named Mae Holland who is hired to work for The Circle, the world’s biggest technology and internet company. The job is an amazing opportunity until she learns a dark secret about what the company is really planning to do and how it will affect all of mankind.

The story explores what the future may bring if we continue down the path of technology being used to gather information about every person out there and monitor our every move.

Perhaps too frighteningly similar to real life, the story introduces products that are created by the company such as TruYou a personalized account that transfers all other accounts into one that will help to get rid of multiple accounts and fake usernames.

Another product created is Past Perfect a program designed to trace your family history in the past to learn more or identify any relatives that are no longer alive. The biggest issues explored that become major key points in the story are Social Media and Privacy. These themes are displayed in the story when Mae uses a new product created by The Circle titled Seachange, a camera that constantly catches live video feed wherever it is placed. She soon has one attached to her to do live videos everyday narrating where she is and what she is doing while people watch her and leave comments about what they are seeing.

In 2017 the book “went Hollywood” and was turned into a live action film. The film’s story follows the plot of the book the closest way possible and brings some of the most important detailed aspects to the screen. One difference between the book and the movie is the film leaves out so many small details and scenes from the book that were important to the story. Some of the details left out of the film help to provide backstory for the company.

I enjoyed the book rather than the film adaptation because of the additional details of the story and subplots that were not introduced in the story. The tone and themes are easier to identify in the book because of the slower pace and character development.