In Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, Jacob gets to live a dream that many of us have as kids: he gets to run away to the circus! But it turns out that actually running away to the circus is more of a nightmare than a dream come true. Things in the circus are hard, and the rivalries between the different workers are fierce. And that’s before you get into the sadistic and selfish monsters hiding behind smiles and laughs. The marks might only see the glitz and glamour, but circus life is dirty and dangerous behind the scenes. When the circus sets up down the street from a nursing home, Jacob starts reminiscing about his time at the circus and the dark secret that he’s kept all these years…
[ Warning: My review of Water for Elephants contains some spoilers!]
Water for Elephants is more of a fever dream than a dream come true
Many of us have dreamed of performing in the circus. Traveling from town to town, flying through the air on the trapeze, or taming the lions and tigers! It would be amazing! Except the reality of life on a circus train in the 1930s wasn’t spectacular at all. The marks who came to the show saw all the sparkles, but backstage, there was dirt and death.
Jacob learns this the hard way in Water for Elephants. And he wasn’t even trying to join the circus! After the sudden death of both his parents, coupled with the loss of his family home, Jacob starts walking. Half out of his mind, he jumps on a train for rest. But it wasn’t just any train he stowed away on; it was a circus train. When the owner finds out that Jacob is a veterinarian, he offers to keep him on to take care of the animals. Unsure of what else to do, Jacob agrees.
So Jacob spends his time caring for the animals and trying to make friends. However, the performers view him as a laborer, and the laborers don’t quite accept him. Marlena is the nicest to him. She is a horse trainer and performer. Jacob’s love of animals draws the two together. It’s too bad that Marlena is already married. Worse, her husband, August, is an abusive jerk. He has a nasty, sadistic streak that he takes out on everyone, human and animal, at the circus. For some reason, the owner puts up with him and even supports him. Probably because many aspects of circus life in the 1930s were less than palatable, and August has no problem dealing with them.
Despite the very real danger August poses, Jacob and Marlena fall in love and decide to leave the circus. But it isn’t as easy as that. When they try to leave August, and the circus life behind them, some of the other workers stop them. Things get dangerous. Then disaster strikes at the circus. In all the confusion, Jacob and Marlena seize their chance to escape. But they don’t make it out alone. And there are secrets from that night that Jacob has carried for a very long time. He’s never shared them with anyone. But maybe now, after all this time, it’s time to share if only someone will listen to him.
Jacob Jankowski is a compelling character in this story
I love Jacob through the whole Water for Elephants story. First, he’s a young man who is completely devastated when his whole world is destroyed. He loses his parents, his home, and his future at the same time. I can’t imagine the pain of such loss. Then he gets swept up in the chaos that is the circus and just rolls with it. Animals need him, so he takes care of them, just going along one day at a time. Then Marlena needs him to take care of her, so he does never mind the danger. He just keeps going forward.
Then, as an old man, he just wants to visit the circus. But like all men, he doesn’t want to seem too emotionally invested in anything, so he plays it cool like it’s no big deal. Until he realizes that he’s going to miss it, he can’t deal with that. So he puts one foot in front of the other until he manages to run away to the circus again, this time on purpose. Both versions of Jacob are sweet and loveable, and I was happy to get to know him while reading his story.
Water for Elephants made me hungry for the past
I found myself really wishing I could sit down with Jacob and talk to him about his life. His children and grandchildren wasted such beautiful opportunities to be amazed by not being there. Of course, Jacob isn’t real, so they aren’t really missing anything. I also felt sad as I read it that I couldn’t talk to my grandparents about their lives anymore. In my defense, my grandpa died when I was very young, so I never got the chance with him. And I did talk to my grandma a lot. I’m now sharing her stories with my children. But I wish I could ask more.
Water for Elephants really made me think about how once someone is gone, they’re gone. And a whole life is gone with them. It’s essential to hear their stories while you can because you’ll regret it when they’re gone. This novel came out twenty years ago, and unlike the older generation, it isn’t going anywhere. You can read it tomorrow, or you can read it ten years from now. But I wouldn’t wait if I were you; read it today and find another story to cherish.
My Rating: 9/10
Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen is available now for purchase! You can also catch the Broadway musical until December 8 and look out for a national tour come 2025! Let us know if you’ve read this novel or seen the musical on social media @mycosmiccircus!
Water For Elephants Musical is a Spectacle of a Show
