Reading some of the 1* reviews of this book has been almost more entertaining than reading the book itself. And I have to admit that many of them are spot-on in their analysis of why this isn’t literature of the highest order. However, I don’t think it’s fair to judge it as literary fiction as it’s primarily a book of ideas and on that score I found it a really interesting and thought-provoking read. Admittedly it has all the characteristics of poor fiction – one-dimensional characters, unconvincing interactions, stilted dialogue. But in a way that’s the point. The world created here is unfortunately all too recognisable, if exaggerated, and we all run the danger of turning, like the characters in the novel, shallow, into self-obsessed, unthinking victims of technology if the power of the tech companies is allowed to develop unchallenged. The book focuses on Mae Holland, a young woman who through the good auspices of her college friend Annie lands a job at the Circle, an innovative tech company leading the way in data use. Its avowed aim is to have a wholly connected populace, where privacy goes out the window, transparency is the goal, everyone’s data is collected under one roof, and crime and anti-social behaviour is eradicated – because your actions and whereabouts are visible at all times. Utopia indeed. But of course, it’s not, and Eggers is asking us to examine and think about our reliance on technology and the internet and what it might mean for our future and the future of humanity. It’s a thoughtful and provocative book, which I very much enjoyed.

Very interesting and topical read. A cautionary tale of what could happen in real life. lost marks as felt it petered out at the end.