Water for Elephants, a New York Times bestseller and author Sara Gruen’s third novel, was published in 2006 by Algonquin. The novel was adapted into a full-length film in 2011 starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattison.

Gruen often features animals in her novels, and Water for Elephants is no exception, as she follows two lovers in a forbidden relationship set against the backdrop of a circus and its eclectic mix of characters and exotic animals. The novel’s protagonist, Jacob Jankowski, becomes the circus veterinarian and befriends a chimpanzee and an elephant named Rosie. The historical romance offers a glimpse into Prohibition and Depression-era cityscapes as the circus travels across the nation to various towns. In her author’s note, Gruen explains that she was inspired to write the novel after seeing the photography of Edward J. Kelty, who followed traveling circuses from 1920 to 1930. Black-and-white photos of circus scenes precede many of the novel’s chapters. This guide refers to the 2007 Algonquin Books edition of the text.

Other work by this author includes the novel, At the Water's Edge.

Content Warning: This novel depicts sexual acts, violence, and characters who have physical or mental health conditions.

Plot Summary

Jacob Jankowski is uncertain of his age. The elderly man, once a redhead, now counts his lingering hairs and languishes in the isolation of an assisted living facility. Forgotten by the world and his family, all Jacob has left are his memories and his friendship with a compassionate nurse, Rosemary. Jacob doesn’t view himself as helpless, like some of his fellow residents, and he mostly endures the forced social time in silence. However, when the circus comes to town, and another of the facility’s residents, Joseph McGuinty, mentions that he once carried water for the elephants in a circus, Jacob loses his temper and is banished to his room to eat alone. The excitement over the circus triggers a memory and transports him back to 1931, when his journey with the circus began.

At age 23, young Jacob is on the brink of change. He prepares to graduate from veterinary school at the prestigious Cornell University and join his father in the family veterinary practice. Jacob also hopes that his relationship with his beautiful girlfriend, Catherine, will progress, changing his virginal status. However, Jacob’s world is shattered in an instant when the dean summons him and tells him that his parents have been killed in a car accident. Depression-era struggles left his parents in debt, and Jacob finds himself a penniless orphan. He’s so distraught and wracked with grief that he can’t complete his final exams and walks away from college before earning his degree. Pacing the streets to the edge of town, trying to determine his next step, Jacob hears the train coming. With little thought, Jacob impulsively hops into an open car and tumbles into the hands of rough, grumbling men eager to toss him right back out into the night. Fortunately, a kind old man named Camel intervenes and tells Jacob that he has jumped onto the Benzini Brothers Circus train. In the ensuing days, Camel helps Jacob acquire a job as a roustabout, or laborer, on the circus crew and educates him on the ins and outs of circus culture. When dictatorial ringmaster Uncle Al learns that Jacob is a veterinarian, he assigns him to work in the animal menagerie, the diverse display of exotic animals the circus has procured over the years.

The new position puts Jacob in contact with the beautiful Marlena—the circus’s star performer—and her mercurial husband, August. Enchanted by her beauty and effortless rapport with the horses, Jacob quickly falls for Marlena. He soon learns that August, who has a mental health condition, is controlling and abusive. As the truth of Marlena’s marriage surfaces, Jacob learns about the dark side of Circus Life. The Depression-era economy has the circus running on razor-thin margins, so workers often go unpaid for weeks, and animals are often deprived of food and proper care. In addition to living in deplorable conditions, circus workers constantly fear being “red-lighted,” or thrown off the train to certain death. In a desperate effort to turn the circus profitable again, Uncle Al purchases an elephant named Rosie from a failed circus. Along with Jacob and Marlena, August is tasked with training Rosie to perform in the big top arena. However, when Jacob sees August’s cruel, barbarous method of training the elephant, he can’t remain silent. Jacob’s passion for animal safety and growing attraction to Marlena put him at odds with the tempestuous, unpredictable August. Eventually, Jacob discovers that Rosie understands Polish, and he teaches her to perform in the big show with Marlena. The act is a tremendous success, but through the experience, Jacob and Marlena grow closer and begin a heated love affair.

Camel becomes ill from drinking “jake,” a poisonous extract that people used in place of illegal alcohol, and Jacob fears that his friend will soon be red-lighted. He agrees to house the invalid in the car he shares with Walter—a circus clown whose stage name is Kinko—and his dog, Queenie. Walter should be in the highest rank of circus social status, but as a little person, he’s treated unfairly by everyone in the organization. Slowly, Walter accepts Jacob, and together they try to find Camel’s family and get him away from Uncle Al’s murderous henchmen. Marlena leaves August, but Uncle Al tasks Jacob with reuniting the couple for the sake of saving the circus. Marlena reveals to Jacob that she’s pregnant with his baby. Prepared to take drastic measures to ensure her safety, Jacob creeps into August’s car with the intent to kill him but loses his resolve. In his absence, Al’s henchmen red-light Camel, Walter, and several other workers. The survivors organize a revolt against Al and release all the menagerie’s animals, causing a catastrophic stampede that tramples many spectators to death. In the chaos, Rosie pulls up her iron stake and smashes August’s skull. Al is found strangled, and the remnants of the circus are sold off to another group. Marlena and Jacob take Rosie, Queenie, the horses, and a chimpanzee named Bobo and join the Ringling Brothers.

In the nursing home, the elderly Jacob mourns the recent loss of Marlena to cancer. After 61 years of marriage and five children, Jacob finds himself alone and has one wish: to attend the circus one last time. When Simon, his oldest son, forgets to visit, Jacob takes matters into his own hands and slips out the door of the nursing home to catch the circus performance. The teenager staffing the ticket booth denies him admittance, but the manager, Charlie O’Brien, comes to his rescue and arranges a front-row seat. Upon learning about Jacob’s past, O’Brien offers Jacob the chance to share his story. Jacob decides to leave the assisted living facility and escape to the circus once again. O’Brien welcomes him home.