We are meeting this week for our Christmas meal in Billingshurst. Questions for discussion:
1. What is the impact of the dual narrative?
2. Does the ‘twist’ of the ending work? What happens when you compare the prologue and final chapters in relation to the murder?
3. To what extent was the ‘contemporary’ ending satisfying?
4. Are faithfulness and loyalty rewarded in Water for Elephants?
5. Jacob begins his story by announcing his virginity. From the cooch tent to the erections the older Jacob gets when being bathed, sexuality is woven into the whole story. Why?
6. ‘A canvas balance between beauty and violence?’ What did the circus setting contribute to the narrative?
7. Jacob's veterinary knowledge saves him initially, and gains him a place near the top of the hierarchy in the circus. How does the gulf between performers and working men contribute to the narrative?
8. How credible were the main protagonists, and the depiction of August's illness?
9. How are women represented in the novel?
10. What is the significance of the title?
11. What is the genre of the novel? Does it fit with other recent reads where the protagonist is a nonogenarian?
