The Circle

 By Dave Eggers

As this book was a Christmas present from one of my closest friends, I placed it close to the front of my 'To Read' list. While I am a better person for having read this story, it does not rank in my top 20 favorites. There are points to be made in the conversation of this story, yes; but the writing and the characters and the general plotline are lackluster. 

Mae, as the central human of involvement (aka main character), seems delightful and role-model-esque. For Eggers' first female lead, there was ample space for her to grow and succeed and blossom. There were no other characters in competition in his repertoire and she could have stolen the show as an amazing woman. And yet, she is a malleable and hollow shell of a being. She doesn't give a second thought to anything, always moving with the tides, doing what she is told like a reprogrammable android. Frequently while reading I wondered if she had ever read anything. Had this fictional young woman ever read a book for school or pleasure that caused her to think critically? Had she ever considered that maybe her author wasn't trustworthy, or that while some characters may appear sketchy, they are the true heroes? Even with all of the discussion of schools and the constant flow of information, there is no evidence that Mae has ever read a dystopian novel. Which begs the question- do they exist in this world? Since Ty had no real foresight to see the TruPotential in his creations, and Mae is clearly oblivious, maybe there really are no cautionary tales? (Or did The Circle burn them before anyone even realized?) If anyone had read anything anti-Circle-like, it would have to be Mercer. Where did Mercer acquire such scandalous texts? Odds are, the books Mercer read were old and obscene and probably found in either his parents attic or maybe even Mae's parents attic. Then, the real question (assuming you're still following me down this rabbit-hole), why didn't Mae's parents share these books with their only child? Isn't that one of your main duties as a parent??? To educate and prepare your offspring for the dangerous world? And if you only have one child, wouldn't you be a little bit more invested since there's only one possibility of continuing your lineage?

And then, back to the discussion of Mae being Eggers' first female lead, you have to wonder if this character is a discussion of how he sees women, or if it is larger and about all humans. It is just an interesting layer to how he views the world and its occupants. 

It was basically a modern 1984. This text should be read. You may not enjoy it, but you should read it. 

The movie notes below in italics. 

Emma Watson is far too strong an actress for the role of Mae. I loved Karen Gillian as Annie. Tom Hanks was an excellent Bailey.

The basics of book to movie translation is the communication of the main ideas of the book within a similar plotline. At least, that's my interpretation of how to translate between media. The plot was a mess. There was little alignment with the text and that was incredibly disappointing. Even the ending was altered for a feel-good moment. On screen Mae was a completely different character than text Mae. Joking about 'drinking the Kool-Aid,' and having a slight distaste for the original SeeChange technology are actions never even considered by text Mae. The cherry on top (aside from the ending) was that on screen Mae urged for Mercer to not be tracked. She begged and pleaded and even fought the wills of two of the Wise Men for him to not be a target. Text Mae literally volunteered his name for fun. 

A lack of scandal with Kelton, a lack of Francis, and a lack of late night kayaking success emptied an already hollow story. 

It has been a long time since I was this disappointed in a film adaptation. Read the book.

Happy Reading, Bookworms!