Taufiq Yves's Reviews > Water for Elephants

Water for Elephants.

At first glance, I thought this novel is about elephant conservation. However, the Polish-speaking elephant doesn't make its grand entrance until a third of the book has passed.

The plot is relatively straightforward. Set during the Great Depression in the United States, a young college student, due to family misfortune, finds himself working as a veterinarian in a traveling circus. There, he encounters a variety of eccentric characters, including the aforementioned elephant. He also falls in love with the wife of a brutal animal trainer, which naturally leads to complications. The elephant kills the abusive trainer during a circus riot, and the lovers finally reunite. That’s it.

This circus-set love story follows a familiar Hollywood romance formula. The abusive husband, the wife seeking true love, and the gentle lover are all rather stereotypical characters. The plot, too, is somewhat predictable: emotional turmoil, physical confrontations, and escalating conflicts.

The unique twist is that it's an elephant that cleans up the mess. It eliminates the only obstacle to the love triangle – the capricious husband.

There's not much psychological complexity here. Perhaps Gruen simply aimed for the emotional impact of a straightforward love story, or maybe she believes that happy endings in love are inherently ordinary. Whatever the case, she succeeded. If you’re craving a mix of "epic story" and "simple love", you will undoubtedly be moved to tears.

In this story, the elephant isn't the true protagonist. In that era, elephants killing circus workers, especially abusive animal trainers, wasn't uncommon. Calling it an elephant's revenge would be an exaggeration.

What's truly interesting is the depiction of life in a low-tier American circus. Gruen conducted extensive research and visited numerous circuses to ensure the details were accurate.

The book vividly portrays the stark contrast between skilled performers and the working class who did the grunt work, with significant differences in their living conditions. The circus owner would withhold food and water from animals to drive down the prices of acquiring them from bankrupt circuses. To alleviate financial woes, he would even abandon workers who were owed substantial wages. The circus owner would capitalize on the death of obese performers, using their funerals as promotional opportunities. Stories of a wandering lion, an elephant stealing lemonade, and even a murder have all been documented in American circus history. The ruthless exploitation and harsh realities of the Great Depression, as experienced by these lower-class circus workers, are truly shocking.

Whose tears are falling? Perhaps the elephant's, or perhaps us, the readers. Yet, these moving emotions might be merely illusions. As the novel states, "In the world of the circus, everything is an illusion, and that's okay. People come to see illusions."

The lower class, however, didn't seek out these illusions for the sake of tears. Even when poor and hungry, they sought entertainment. For example, the novel vividly describes the bawdy performances common in low-tier circuses, which might bring a smile to the reader's face. Didn't we all see these kinds of circuses as children? It's likely that the adults were more interested in the show than the children.

I devoured this book in one sitting. The various characters fit my expectations of a sentimental novel.

The circus travels from place to place, offering entertainment, while its members often lead miserable lives. Those skilled in making others laugh may harbor deep melancholy. Behind the scenes of the circus's joyous performances lies the heartache of animals treated as performers and people treated as beasts. If it weren't for Rosie the elephant's intervention, it's unclear how the story would have ended.

4.2 / 5 stars