The Circle

Upon learning that her father has had a seizure, Mae drives to her hometown to see him at the hospital. By the time she arrives, he has already been sent home. She goes to her parents’ house, where her ex-boyfriend Mercer’s truck is parked in the driveway. She walks into the house and sees “not her parents, but Mercer’s giant shapeless form” (127). Her parents called Mercer to come over and help, and her dad assures her that he has been a “lifesaver.” Mae is fuming because she rushed home, only to find that her dad is not in danger and that her parents are praising her ex-boyfriend.

After dinner, Mae and Mercer sit in the backyard and talk about their respective jobs. They begin to argue over Mercer’s disdain for social networking and how he doesn’t use it to support his business. Mercer criticizes Mae for using social media to shape her estimation of him. He speaks at length about how social media devalues human relationships. Mae finds his monologue obnoxious. He eventually leaves, and to make herself feel better, Mae logs into her Circle account and handles a few dozen queries.

The following day, she relaxes and spends time with her parents. On Sunday, her dad soils his pants and calls for her mom, who is outside. Mae is nearby and tries to help, but he insists on only getting help from her mom. Mae goes outside to get her mom, who implores Mae to leave so that they can “grant [her dad] some dignity” (137).

Feeling enraged, Mae drives home. She stops to go kayaking. Out on the water, she searches for seals and eventually spots a pair. They stare at her and after seeming to find her boring, they soon leave. She comes across a barge that has a makeshift shelter on it. Mae approaches, and a woman emerges. She invites Mae aboard for a drink, and Mae accepts. Aboard the vessel, Mae engages in small talk with the woman and her husband. Mae finishes her wine, says she’ll visit again sometime, and paddles back to shore.

On Monday morning, Mae gets to work and discovers that she has missed a lot of messages about social activities. On Sunday, there was a barbecue for “newbies” such as herself. She gets a message from Dan that instructs her to see him as soon as possible. At first, Dan expresses his disappointment in her for missing the barbecue. He then tells her she’ll be assisting new CE employees whom Jared is training.

When they break for lunch, Jared expresses his concern that Mae has not yet gone to The Circle’s clinic. He tells her that she was supposed to go during her first week. At the end of her shift, she goes to the clinic. There, she meets Dr. Villalobos, who appears “too glamorous for this, for this room, for Mae” (151). Dr. Villalobos explains to Mae that Circlers get checkups every two weeks to monitor overall health and provide early detection of any issues that might arise. Mae is fitted with a bracelet that constantly assesses her health. The doctor then hands Mae a smoothie and instructs her to drink all of it. When Mae finishes, the doctor tells her that she has just swallowed a tiny sensor that will connect to her wrist monitor. Mae is unbothered by this deceptive act. She experiments with her bracelet and finds it to be “one of the more elegant objects she’d ever seen” (157). Dr. Villalobos explains that all of Mae’s collected health data will be stored in the cloud, where it will be easily accessible.

Dr. Villalobos asks several general questions about Mae’s health. When she asks about her family history of illness, Mae starts to cry. She explains her father’s situation, including their struggles with their health insurance. The doctor tells Mae that she can likely add her parents to her Circle health insurance and suggests that she talk to Annie about it.

With Annie’s influence, it only takes a few minutes to get Mae’s parents on The Circle’s insurance plan. Mae calls her parents to share the good news. They cry and claim Annie is the family’s savior. They also express how proud they are of Mae. Her mother tells Mae that she has “saved not just [her] father’s life, but [her] life, too” (163).

Mae is feeling celebratory and checks the calendar of events occurring at The Circle. She goes to a circus that is appearing on campus and enjoys watching the show until an out-of-control, sword-carrying performer stumbles directly toward her. She freezes, and at the last moment, Kalden appears and pulls her out of harm’s way. She looks at Kalden and sees his face as “like some Brancusi sculpture—smooth, perfectly oval” (167). Mae and Kalden bring sausages and cups of red wine to a lemon grove. They engage in small talk until Kalden picks her a lemon. She notes that the lemon is green, so he shakes the tree and many lemons rain down. Several hit Mae; he apologizes and asks if she’s okay.

The next day, Mae tells Annie about this encounter. Mae attempts to describe Kalden but doesn’t know much about him. She notes that he has some gray hair. Annie teases Mae for finding an old man to take care of her. Mae searches for his name in the company directory but finds nothing. Throughout the week, she thinks constantly of him. Annie joins in the search; still, they can’t locate him. Annie becomes concerned that he’s someone who shouldn’t be on campus, perhaps a stalker, but Mae isn’t worried. While thinking of him, her workload feels enjoyable. She also takes pleasure in ignoring Francis, who continues to contact her. As the week draws to a close, she is increasingly frustrated that she can’t track down Kalden.