Originally written in 2006 and recently adapted into a popular movie, “Water For Elephants” by Sara Gruen is an enchanting and enjoyable novel about a depression-era traveling circus. The story is first set at a retirement home in (nearly) present day, where Jacob Jankovski informs the reader “I am ninety. Or ninety-three. One or the other.”
Following an altercation with another senior resident, and upon discovering they are planning a trip to the circus, he starts to reflect on his life with the Benzini Brothers show.
The journey began one week before Jacob’s veterinary school exams at Cornell, when he was pulled from class to be told of his parents’ deaths in an auto accident. He then learns his father, a practicing veterinarian, had been trading services for goods instead of money, to help those affected by the Great Depression.
As a result, young Jacob is left with no money and no home (as it was mortgaged to pay his tuition), alone and broke with nowhere to turn for support. In a moment of grief he wanders off with no destination, and ends up jumping a train – which just happens to be the train for Benzini Brothers “Most Spectacular Show on Earth.” The employees take pity on him, offering a grifter position cleaning up after the animals.
But when they discover his educational background, he is quickly promoted to the official show veterinarian. He soon meets the animal trainer, August, and his beautiful young wife, an equestrian performer named Marlena, who immediately captivates his attention. Another lady who captures his heart is the newly acquired elephant Rosie, who is both abused and widely misunderstood until Jacob befriends her. The story that follows is one of an intense love for both Marlena and Rosie, and close relationships (both good and bad) with some rather eccentric characters traveling with the circus.
The narration is entirely from the perspective of Jacob as an old man, switching between present day and flashbacks to the past. It is at times a heartbreaking tale, but is also heartwarming from beginning to end. This is the kind of book you literally won’t want to put down, and should find yourself wishing it were longer than its substantial 350 pages.
Note: This book contains adult language and situations.
