‘The Circle’ Annotation

Dave Eggers is able to build a world and a character out of thin air. Even reading this passage out of context gives us all the insight into the world and the person he is trying to create. He has a way of pushing forward the narrative through a limited third person view that never seems to slow down. It is a very organic writing style that, while well crafted, seems very human and real. His dialogue is verbose and much of the context of the story is revealed through the inner thoughts, mostly questions, of the protagonist. I’m particularly a fan of his descriptions; how instead illustrating the fact that police were on the verge of arresting Mae (the protagonist) he merely said that shadows descended upon her and handcuffed her behind her back. Its not even a flashy description but I locks the perspective of the story in one place and makes the limitation of the narrative more believable and real . Or in the case of “He looked over his teacup to her, his eyes steady. She met his gaze, then, briefly overwhelmed, she looked away, only to find his face again, this time in a framed photo on a nearby shelf.” Eggers not only reports on the emotions in the scene and the setting of it but also reveals the inner feelings of the protagonist though something as simple as an averted gaze.