“I know where there's a tiger.”

The expression “I know where there’s a tiger” is the moment Rob tells Sistine about the caged tiger, transforming a concealed fact into the beginning of their shared undertaking. Her immediate question, “Where?”, confirms that he has chosen the right person to trust.

The Disclosure

In the rain outside the motel, Sistine looks from the building to the blinking Kentucky Star sign and back at Rob, as if trying to solve a problem. Rob notices her rain-soaked hair and dress, her pinched face, bleeding knuckles, and dark eyes. Something in him opens: he compares the feeling to taking up a piece of wood without knowing what it will become and working until a recognizable shape emerges. He takes a breath and says, “I know where there’s a tiger.”

Sistine’s Answer

The sentence changes the exchange from Rob’s solitary knowledge into a possibility they can pursue together. Sistine stands in the drizzle, staring at him with fierce eyes. The narration emphasizes the questions and accusations she does not make—whether the tiger is real, whether Rob is crazy, or whether he is lying—before reducing her response to one word: “Where?” Rob understands that he has picked the right person to tell. He says they will have to walk through the woods, then glances doubtfully at her bright dress and shiny black shoes.

Echoes Beyond the Scene

Kate DiCamillo’s account of the novel’s origin repeats the exchange in a different frame: Rob had appeared in an earlier short story and continued to haunt the other stories she was writing. When she asked what he wanted, he answered, “I know where there’s a tiger.” DiCamillo says that, like Sistine, she replied with “Where?” The repeated question links the author’s encounter with the character to Sistine’s acceptance within the novel, making the expression both the story’s invitation and a concise account of how the book came to be.