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Summary Dave Eggers - The Circle
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Book summary of the author Dave Eggers - The Circle. The summary contains: a short summary, a long summary, character descriptions, notes and food for thought questions.
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Book SummaryDave Eggers – The Circle
Book Details
Title: The Circle
Author: Dave Eggers
Pages: 219
Publisher: Lijsters - Blackbird Classics
Publication Date: 2011
Genre: Dystopian Fiction, Science Fiction, Novel
Original Language: English
Topics: Identity, Meaningful Relationships, Merging of Tech with Government.
Notes have been included: These are not part of the text in the book. They are extra insights
intended to help you understand the story. They will always appear in green font.
Short Summary of the Book:
Mae Holland is fresh out of college and has been looking for her place in the world. As a
college graduate, down on her luck, she is incredibly grateful to her friend Annie Allerton for
helping her land a job at the Circle. The Circle is the biggest tech company in the world. Mae
feels blessed to be a part of it. She is committed to making something of herself here.
Although the job itself is not too difficult, Mae soon finds that the Circle is a juggling game.
You’re expected to perform not only at work, but also at have a good social presence and
attend the many events in and around the Circle Campus. People have it their lives’ mission
to stay on site and rise through the ranks. Without realizing it, Mae is manipulated ever more
to give up her privacy, freedoms and her time to the Circle.
During her work, Mae meets a young man that calls himself Kalden. He seems intrigued by
her efforts at Customer Experience. She meets him again at one of the events and they start
an on and off again relationship in which Kalden is notably absent from the Circle Campus.
Mae worries about her parents, especially because her father suffers from Multiple Sclerosis,
and they must fight the insurance companies for proper care. Fighting a losing battle, Mae
notes that her father is deteriorating at a fast pace. Then, he suffers a mild seizure and Mae
hurries home to find her ex-boyfriend, Mercer, helping her parents. Instead of feeling relief,
she is upset. She thinks she comes across as the negligent daughter while Mercer comes
across as the undisputed hero. She argues with him, and he leaves.
Distraught over everything, Mae heads back home but decides to go kayaking first to calm
her mind. Back at work, Mae is approached by her team leader, asking her where she was.
Mae learns that she has missed out on several invitations and mandatory events at the
Circle. She is reprimanded and she promises to do better at her participation.
Working hard, Mae finds that she can rise in popularity by being online almost non-stop. She
slowly isolates herself from human contact. Finding instant validation and gratification online,
she convinces herself that she does important work and that she should do more.
On another trip to her parents, Mae clashes again with Mercer. Furious, Mae seeks again to
go kayaking. It is late and the kayak rental is closed, but she spots a kayak outside of the
fence. Without much rational thought, she borrows the kayak and goes into the bay. When
she returns, she is arrested by law enforcement. It turns out that she has been caught on
camera stealing the kayak. Circle camera no less! The owner of the kayak rentals steps out
and tells the officers to let Mae go. It has all been a misunderstanding, she says.
The next day, Mae is told that one of the founders of the Circle wants to talk to her. Mae is
afraid that she may be fired. Nevertheless, the founder has other plans. He wants Mae to
become transparent. She is asked to wear a camera almost twenty-four hours a day. She is
to become the face of the Circle and encourage the world to become transparent as well.
Mae agrees and starts a journey down the rabbit hole, that will not only rob her privacy but
that of the entire world as well – if she allows the Circle to do so.
1
,Long Summary of the Book:
Important to know: The book is set against the backdrop of the near future, where a tech
company called ‘The Circle’ has revolutionized the internet. One of the Circle’s slogans is:
"All that happens must be known." And later, in an ominous note: "Secrets are lies, sharing
is caring, privacy is theft." Meaning that your life is no longer your own. You have no privacy.
Trivia: A film based on the novel, adapted and directed by James Ponsoldt, was released in
April 2017. Emma Watson (Mae Holland), Tom Hanks (Bailey), Karen Gillan (Annie), Ellar
Coltrane (Mercer) and John Boyega (Kalden) play the lead roles. The film made over $40
million worldwide but it received negative reviews. Please note that the story was adapted to
fit into a two-hour movie and the ending has been completely changed from the book.
The book is divided into Book I, Book II and Book III
Book I:
The book starts out where Mae Holland, a young woman of twenty-four years old, is walking
on the premises of the Circle. As she makes her way towards the main hall, she mentally
takes note and describes everything she sees. We learn that the land used to be a shipyard,
drive-in movie theater, a flea market and then it was abandoned for some time. Today, all
four hundred acres have been transformed into a business area, with many buildings made
of brushed steel and glass, picnic areas and recreation areas. It was designed and inhabited
by gifted minds. It is the Circle Campus. This was the headquarters of the most influential
company in the world - voted four years in a row as the world's most admired company.
Note: Right from the bat, the author makes it apparent that we are to compare the Circle
with Silicon Valley's tech companies like Google, Meta and Apple. He makes it a point to
focus on how immaculate and businesslike everything looks, versus how immature and
strange it looks for adults to live in on-site dorms and seek recreation in the same place
where they are meant to work.
Mae goes on to think of her friend Annie Allerton, who helped her get a job at the Circle. Mae
and Annie met in college four years ago, where they roomed together for three semesters.
During their first month living together, Mae had been very sick, fainted and broken her jaw.
Annie took her to the emergency room, then stayed with her and helped nurse her back to
health. Since then, they had been the best of friends. While Mae was still at college, Annie
graduated and got herself a job at the Circle. Annie had risen in the ranks in a very short
amount of time. So, when Mae asked her help in finding another job, Annie invited her here.
We learn that Mae grew up in a small town called Longfield. It was located between Fresno
and Tranquility. Mae had despised her hometown because it was too small, full of limitations
and had a scarcity of everything. Of her graduating class, she was one of twelve to go to
college. When she finished, she had a hard time landing a job and found herself forced to
return home. Her student loans needed to be paid back. The only job she could find was as
an administrator at a utility company. Mae felt miserable. This was not what she studied for!
Note: The author challenges the idea that you'll automatically get a high-ranking job after
college. Young people are led to believe that a prestigious college degree and job defines
their identity and worth. Mae is a good example of this. She believes that because she went
to college, she is entitled to get a better position than other people. Her parents will only be
proud of her if she makes it big in the world. She even believes that she will only be a real
adult, when she does so. Success is tied to her self-worth. This is a recipe for disaster.
Mae is welcomed at the main hall by a woman, named Renata. She is led to her new office
and Mae can't wait to see what is in store for her. To her surprise she is led to a cubicle that
looks exactly like the drab little space she had at the utility company. Mae could well cry.
Lucky for her, it is just a prank orchestrated by Annie. "You should have seen her face!"
Annie's laughter makes Mae smile. "Now, let's go." Annie says. "I'm giving you the full tour."
2
, Note: We learn that Mae and Annie are quite different in their personalities, with Mae being
more anxious and strait-laced, while Annie is laid-back. This may well be because of their
backgrounds. Mae comes from a middle-class background, is an only child, and she is self-
conscious about her socio-economic status, especially in comparison to her friend Annie,
whose wealthy family can be traced back to the Mayflower. Mae reflects on the fact that
Annie was not always a senior executive with the Circle. How did she rise so quickly? Mae
wonders. Now, Annie was part of the Gang of 40 - the inner circle of executives of the Circle.
Annie shows Mae around. During her orientation, it is explained that different buildings are
named after different historical eras like ‘Old West’, ‘Iron Age’ and ‘Renaissance’. Mae will
be located within the Renaissance Building, as part of the Customer Experience Team. As
Annie leads Mae through the area, they walk past conference rooms, lounges, a gallery, a
cafeteria, the Borrow Room (where Circle employees can loan everything for free), a huge
aquarium center, the kennel (for employee dogs), the outdoor amphitheater and lastly, The
Ochre Library. The last part is not usually shown to strangers, but Annie wants to show it.
Note: The areas seem random. Things to keep the employees occupied in their spare time.
Some of them sound downright childish and unnecessary. For example: what benefit would
a tech company have from keeping an aquarium center? Even the displays in the elevator
seem meant to wow guests more than to have some functionality. Seasoned employees
have grown accustomed to the tech and are no longer awed by it. It is meant for show.
Annie and Mae step out of the elevator into a long hall, made of deep cherry and walnut
wood. A series of compact chandeliers emit a calm amber light. Annie stops in front of a
large painting, portraying three men. It is called ‘The Three Wise men’. The portrait is poorly
painted, but Eamon Bailey, one of the Three Wise Men, thought it was hilarious and wanted
it anyway. Annie goes on to explain the history of the Three Wise Men.
Ty, born Tyler Alexander Gospodinov, the founder, is a socially awkward tech genius
responsible for the unified operating system, TruYou. Eamon Bailey is the 'family man' with a
home in San Francisco, and Tom Stenton is the 'money man' leading a jet-setting lifestyle.
Together, these three individuals have built the Circle into a technological giant.
Note: The Three Wise Men, founders and leaders of the Circle, are a reference to the three
types of power needed to make a powerhouse company. There is the innovative genius (Ty),
the progressive values family man (Eamon) and the corporate shark (Tom). The Three Wise
Men is also a reference to the Biblical story, when three kings visited the baby Jesus. This
religious undertone serves the Circle's mission, making it almighty in people's perception.
Ty had devised the initial system, the Unified Operating System, which combined everything
online that had heretofore been separate – users’ social media profiles, their payment
systems, their various passwords, their email accounts, usernames, preferences, every tool
and manifestation of their interest. He took it all and invented TruYou – One account, one
identity, one password, one payment system, per person. You must use your real name, and
this was tied to your credit cards, your bank, everything. One button for the rest of your life.
TruYou took the world and the internet by storm. Thus, the company ‘The Circle’ was born.
Annie goes on to show Mae the rest of the three-story library, three stories built around an
open atrium. There are at least ten thousand books and numerous works of art. Then, Annie
shows Mae the secret entrance to a round room. The whole library is Eamon Bailey’s, and
this room is his very own secret. It is a round room, containing books, but the focus is a hole
in the middle of the room. It is surrounded by a copper barrier, and it has a large pole that
goes down – very much like a firefighter house pole.
“Does he fight fires?” Mae asks jokingly.
“Hell, if I know,” Annie replies. “As far as I know, it goes all the way to his parking space.”
Annie says that she wanted to show it to have her understand that these men can have it all.
3
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