Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen
There is murder in this story. A cover-up protects the killer for many years. Only the killer may not be who you think.
The setting is 1930s America, and the country is full of hungry unemployed men. Circuses are going bust everywhere. Always ambitious to rival the famous Ringling Brothers, Uncle Al, the owner of Benzini Brothers Circus, stops at nothing to keep his show in business.
Besides being first on the scene to buy bargain priced stock and acquire performers from other shows that are going belly up, Uncle Al uses more questionable means to keep afloat. He justifies his actions by saying he is keeping his huge team employed at a time when there are almost no jobs.
Jacob, an orphaned veterinarian with all but complete qualifications from Cornell, falls in with the circus by chance. He stays on, first out of necessity and a sense of responsibility for the animals in his care, and later, out of love.
When he falls for a beautiful young married performer, Jacob becomes part of a dangerous love triangle. Marlena has already burned many bridges, not the least of which was marrying a mercurial fellow-performer called August, whose very entry into a room brings a whiff of unpredictability and danger.
Uncle Al and August are enraged and frustrated by the apparent stupidity of Rosie, an elephant acquired from another circus. But when the language barrier is discovered, and the charming and clever elephant is addressed in Polish, she proves more than equal to creating a wonderful new show with Marlena, and plenty of money begins to pour in. Unfortunately, bad trouble isn't far behind.
Besides providing a thrilling story about a circus as seen from the inside, author Sara Gruen raises interesting themes that concern secrecy and murder. Jacob's memories are told through his memories as a very old man, and this frame story, too, has a surprising ending.
Water for Elephants is now also a movie. The female lead is played by Reese Witherspoon.