Scan barcode
nenaveenstra's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
The Every has basically the same, if not more, bleak outlook on the evolution of technology and the human race as its predecessor, The Circle. It follows Delaney, a thirty-something who is determined to destroy The Every: a technology and e-commerce monopoly that is almost like a commune/cult in the way that it houses and feeds its employees in a way that completely cuts them off from the rest of society.
And the employees - Everypeople, or Everyone in the singular form - love it. They love not having to think for themselves, letting AI judge them, the words they use, the people they meet, the purchases they make. And every time a new radical thing gets invented, something that will rob Everypeople from the last bit of individuality they had in them, they adopt it willingly.
The Every devours other companies and invades people’s privacy and freedom, all under the guise of saving the planet. All the adjustments the Every makes combat climate change somehow, which makes it that much easier to sell - but in the end, it’s still a capitalist monopoly that only cares for its own ability to make money.
I think that Dave Eggers is trying to warn us for multiple things with this book, including, but not limited to: (1) the failure of (Western) governments to properly tackle the climate crisis might lead to other powerful forces to take the lead, (2) buying technological products without thinking critically of what they’re capable of, and if their manufacturer is truly honest about its uses, (3) the rapid development of all things technology, and (4) cancel culture.
The latter is a bit of a cheap shot, in my opinion, and caused me to sigh and think ‘ok boomer’ multiple times, but of course there is something to be said about the rest of these points. I think people should always try to think critically about things, especially regarding the narrative powerful forces (government or otherwise) try to sell you - and you should not always buy what you’re being sold. And yes, I am frustrated with the way governments are handling the climate crisis and that makes The Every sound - sometimes - like a Walhalla. Not eating specific types of fruit when they’re not in season? Count me in. Being more mindful of the kinds of clothes you buy? Already doing that. But the positives do not outweigh the negatives, given that tons of Everypeople end their lives - a society where that happens, is broken.
I don’t think it’s fair to judge a book by its ideologies; as long as it’s written well, it doesn’t matter if I agree or not. Was it well-written though? Well, Dave Eggers certainly knows how to write in an accessible way, and he is even funny at times. However, he also tends to obviously think he is funny when he’s actually just talking about penises. On top of that, he has opted for female main characters in both The Circle and The Every, even though it’s so blatantly obvious that he doesn’t know how to write women (case in point: the constant wandering of Delaney’s eyes to men’s crotches and making remarks about phallic shapes - no woman is that obsessed with dicks). Instead, his characters are more plot-devices than actual human beings, churning out ideas to make The Every even worse and being made susceptible to its ideologies. Not to mention the insanely long paragraphs and endless enumerations that basically hammered home the same ideas over and over again.
I often found the character’s actions in this book quite unbelievable - not only those of Delaney, but of the Everypeople in general. It might be that I’m just not willing to believe that people would be so willing to give all their freedoms away, though - forgive me for being subjective - but I felt like this book was unnecessarily pessimistic about humans as a whole.
The COVID-19 pandemic was obviously a big source of inspiration for this book - being published in 2021 - and Eggers even invented a second pandemic for funsies. The people in this book were more accustomed to staying inside in order to prevent illness, and even agoraphobic, because of these pandemics. In other words: people were okay with staying inside, because they had been quarantining for so long anyways. To me, that sounds absolutely insane. When I look at the people around me, most felt like a caged animal during the quarantaines, and I don’t think anyone wants to go back to that again. It felt so weird to read about this alternate future where people actually did.
Before I sign off, I want to give a (dis)honourable mention to the way the book referenced itself and The Circle. For example, at some point it is said that the ideal length for a book over 500 pages is 577 pages, which is exactly the amount of pages in this book. And there is talk of a movie being made about The Circle, which didn’t do very well in the box office - just like the movie adaptation of The Circle, the book. It was all so apt that I didn’t know whether I loved it or hated it, but I’m thinking the latter.
In conclusion - this has been a very long review, I’m sorry - I’m glad I read this book, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anybody, unless they’re looking for a book that will frustrate them to no end. Terrible characters, a questionable plot (oh my god I didn’t even talk about the plot), interesting but bleak ideas: that’s The Every summed up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Ableism, Murder, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
This book has a vaguely ableist air to it that I can't quite place. I think it's the fact that there's a lot of focus on physical exercise that not everyone will be able to do.cartermon4's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Vomit, Murder, and Suicide
samieron97's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I could not put this book down and I cannot stop thinking about it. I first read "The Circle" in college for an English class and decided to revisit the series when "The Every" was released. I will be thinking about this book frequently for a long time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Suicide attempt, and Child abuse
Minor: Murder
unboxedjack's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Animal death, Death, Suicide, Cancer, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
joshhornbeck's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
FIRST THOUGHTS:
A really compelling, fun, but incredibly dark read about the state of technology and our society’s desire to cede choice to algorithms and artificial intelligence out of a fear of making wrong or incorrect choices on our own. This definitely falls more on the mainstream side of Eggers’s writing, and you can palpably see his anger at the state of American society right now - the inability of even well-meaning individuals to understand nuance or complexity, the rapacious growth of tech companies and our increasing dependence on them for everything - this is a novel of warning and frustration. But it’s also refreshing to see that he also understands that these major corporations may be our only way out of the environmental catastrophe that lies ahead of us… they just also want the unfettered wealth and power they’re amassing along the way. It may not be his most masterful work, but it’s a solid work of (not so) speculative fiction that manages to hold on to the nuance that so many today are afraid to explore.
A really compelling, fun, but incredibly dark read about the state of technology and our society’s desire to cede choice to algorithms and artificial intelligence out of a fear of making wrong or incorrect choices on our own. This definitely falls more on the mainstream side of Eggers’s writing, and you can palpably see his anger at the state of American society right now - the inability of even well-meaning individuals to understand nuance or complexity, the rapacious growth of tech companies and our increasing dependence on them for everything - this is a novel of warning and frustration. But it’s also refreshing to see that he also understands that these major corporations may be our only way out of the environmental catastrophe that lies ahead of us… they just also want the unfettered wealth and power they’re amassing along the way. It may not be his most masterful work, but it’s a solid work of (not so) speculative fiction that manages to hold on to the nuance that so many today are afraid to explore.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcohol, Child abuse, Cancer, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness
laralou's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Murder, and Violence
stlkatiek's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Taking place 10 years after the events of The Circle, this story features two people trying to take down an evil corporation (a hybrid of facebook, google, and amazon) from the inside. Although a bit meandering at times, it was clever satire of groupthink corporate dynamics and chilling prequel to some of the more haunting Black Mirror episodes. The irony of reading this on an android (Google) device, on a library app tracking my reading speed and progress, then immediately logging onto another (Amazon-owned) app to track and share my thoughts is not going unnoticed...
Read it Because:
I loved The Circle
Reminded me of:
Black Mirror (multiple episodes)
QualityLand
Read it Because:
I loved The Circle
Reminded me of:
Black Mirror (multiple episodes)
QualityLand
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
More...