Book Title: Water for Elephants
Author: Sara Gruen
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Year: 2007
# of Pages: 331
ISBN: 978-0-00-639155-5

Reviewed By:  Meghan Masterson (Calgary Correspondent - Canada) 

It has been awhile since I read a book that caught my imagination and drew me into the story to the extent that I could hardly bear to stop reading. Water for Elephants managed to do this with ease. The novel follows the journey of Jacob Jankowski, who, searching for a new beginning amidst personal crisis at the height of the Depression, accidentally joins the Benzini Brothers circus when he stows away on their train. He is given a job as the circus veterinarian, and finds himself caught between the animals and the performers. He is unique in that he is able to mingle with people of all ranks of the circus, from the high-ranking performers to the lowlier workers and everyone in between.

Sara Gruen's writing is delightful, and she effortlessly introduces the reader to a wide array of fascinating characters, from the mercurial and often dark August, the dainty and sensitive Marlena, and Rosie the elephant, whose charm is utterly endearing. She is a master of both dialogue and description; a potent combination which draws the reader utterly into the strange world of the circus, a place that is filled with people from all walks of life, all physical shapes, and all levels of conscience.  

Water for Elephants is impeccably researched, and each chapter is complete with a photograph of a circus scene taken from various archives and museums. These images enhance the book, but they are not essential by any means: Gruen's writing is vivid and dramatic, and the reader's imagination will not need to be evoked by photographs.

The story is told by Jacob when he is in his eighties, living in a senior's assisted living facility. This sideline is also very moving, as Jacob struggles to come to terms with his age, loss of independence, and what he, at first, feels to be his abandonment by his family. He seeks solace in his memories of the circus with increasing frequency, and the reader follows him into the conclusion with an equally increasing desperation to find out what will happen. In fact, the story is gripping and colourful enough that I would not be surprised if a film were made of it, although I don't see how any movie could be even close to the calibre of the novel.

Water for Elephants is a dazzling story that encompasses many different faces, from class conflict, poverty, animal abuse, compassion for animals, forbidden love, and even murder. The novel also introduces some circus slang, such as "rubes" and "kinkers." I won't enlighten anyone to what these terms mean-you'll just have to read the book, for such an enthralling and polished novel deserves to be read by as many people as possible.