READ: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Let me say at the outset of this review that I usually read literary fiction. This book was a departure for me, one that I took on the faith of the 1600+ positive reviews on Amazon.com. Those reviews misled me, I’m afraid.
It’s mystifying why so many reviewers loved this book.
Jacob Jankowski, now over ninety years old, looks back on his decision to run away with the circus life during the Depression era after the tragic death of his parents forces his departure from veterinary school. He recalls the magic, the animals, the circus workforce, love affair, and, of course, the elephant mentioned in the book’s title.
It’s not a bad story, a fairly straightforward narrative without any literary flourishes, written in plain language and present tense. Certainly the author did her research so she could use the right lingo and details. Flash-forwards to the protagonist’s current life in a nursing home only provide a pretense for the ending, unfortunately. The plot is so thin that until about 3/4ths of the way through, I was convinced there wasn’t one. Likewise, the characters are fairly thinly realized, except for the “paranoid schizophrenic” villain and the intelligent elephant, Rosie. I found myself wondering why I even liked the protagonist, who fashioned himself as a kind of savior for a couple of victimized lesser players. Recently bereaved, the protagonist’s experience of bereavement is completely absent from the book, which I found unrealistic at best.
That said, I was surprised that I stuck it out and read to the end, which is why I didn’t give the book a lower rating. In all honesty, the last quarter of the book is quite possibly the best, when the main character finally acts on all his misguided desires. However, the final scene disappointed me; it seemed a bit too contrived.
Light reading, this one. If you want to read for 30 minutes before bed, this isn’t a bad bet, because it doesn’t not require much thought or deconstruction.
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