I just finished Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (Algonquin Books: Chapel Hill, NC, 2006; ISBN 978-1-56512-560-5 [PB]), having come to it 6 years too late.
An absolute gem. If the ending isn't the best I've ever read, then I've forgotten what is ... which tells you how and why I might identify with the 'hero' of the tale.