There's a reason why Water for Elephants has sold millions of copies, spent years on the New York Times bestseller list and been a book group favourite. It's phenomenal In Depression-era America, everyone's running away from something. Some people join the circus to escape. Jacob Jankowski hitches a ride on a freight train and in that instant his life changes. By morning, he's landed a job with the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. By nightfall, he's in love.