Mae's indoctrination into the company and its use of peer pressure to invoke 'herd mentality' is directly contrasted by the character of Mercer. Kalden calls Mae, warning her that The Circle must be stopped, but she refuses to listen. He dislikes the internet and eventually insists on going off the grid to escape the more and more far-reaching influence of The Circle and its technologies. After a brief incident with her own legal issues, Mae ends up agreeing to wear a SeeChange device herself (called 'going transparent'), representing her own growing role in the company, epitomized by a public talk in which she insists, 'secrets are lies,' 'sharing is caring,' and 'privacy is theft.' Mae's job now mainly consists of touring the campus and showing customers future products any hints of her own doubts about privacy seem dropped, in contrast to her ex-boyfriend Mercer. Eventually, SeeChange cameras are worn all day long by politicians wishing to be 'transparent', allowing the public to see what they are seeing at all times.Īnother subplot is the diagnosis of Mae's father with multiple sclerosis, which eventually leads Mae to enroll her parents on her healthcare, which in turn drives them to install SeeChange cameras in their home. Meanwhile, The Circle continues to develop a range of sophisticated technologies, including SeeChange: light, portable cameras that can provide real-time video with minimal effort.

Later, Mae encounters and quickly becomes romantically involved with a mysterious colleague named Kalden, even though she is unable to verify his status at the company, or even obtain his last name. Mae's very first day at The Circle ends with a party where she encounters Francis, who remains a love interest throughout the rest of the novel. From the beginning, Mae is impressed by amenities at The Circle, including access to top-notch technology, dorm-like housing, gyms, recreation activities and parties. Mae starts out in Customer Experience (CE), the firm's customer service department, but quickly climbs the company ladder. Mae Holland, a recent college graduate, lands a job at The Circle, a powerful technology company run by the 'Three Wise Men.' Mae owes her job largely to her best friend and college roommate, Annie, one of the forty most influential people in the company. Her initially rewarding experience turns darker.

The novel chronicles tech worker Mae Holland as she joins a powerful Internet company. The Circle is a 2013 dystopian novel written by American author Dave Eggers. Print (hardback & paperback), audiobook, e-book

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