Social Media.  Harmless fun or privacy nightmare?  If you have ever found yourself wondering whether you might be allowing too much of your private information to be shared, and maybe it’s not such a good thing, then reading this book may confirm your fears.

Mae Holland finds herself employed at one of the most prestigious internet companies in the world – The Circle.

The mission of The Circle is not just for everyone to be connected, but for total transparency.  This is done through various programmes such as SeaChange, where tiny lollipop size cameras are filming people all over the world unbeknown to them.

The campus is utopia.  Everything is “perfect.”   The company is run by ‘the three wise men’ who are only accessible to the elite.

Mae works diligently and obsessively to become part of this elite and this is where the thriller aspect of the novel kicks in.  The further into this murky world, of being seen and being accepted, Mae dives, the further into a dystopian nightmare she falls.

I found this novel a rollercoaster ride of fun and satire which posed some interesting questions such as, our right to privacy, where does your duty to others begin and end, and most interestingly is technology becoming more of a danger to our society than a help?

Some of Mae’s actions I found wholly implausible, not to mention the actions of some of the other characters in the book, but whilst the novel pushes the boundaries of reality at times, it is none the less an extremely enjoyable read.

I have had little or no time to read recently as is clearly evident from the lack of posts on my blog, so the fact I had this read in three days speaks for itself.  I apologize for my lack of posts and also that this one is short.  It’s been a crazy year so far.   I hope to be able to resume more reading and blogging in the near future.

This is a great read – holiday or not!  I would give it 8 out of 10.