I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
“Sometimes people are beautiful.
Not in looks.
Not in what they say.
Just in what they are.”
I Am the Messenger caught me completely off guard. Although I had been excited to read this book, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it and how much it really moved me. It was such an authentic story that went straight to my heart, and made me examine how we treat strangers.
The main character, Ed, begins receiving playing cards with addresses, names, clues but in very minimal detail and with no further instruction. Relying on his intuition alone, Ed starts touching people’s lives and trying to understand what he has to do. The messages or tasks vary from simple to complicated, painful and even dangerous but all of these people have something in common, they need Ed (or someone) to show them something different, to ultimately save them from themselves:
“Maybe everyone can live beyond what they're capable of.”
Some of Ed's simple acts of kindness were life-changing for those he helped. The fact that he’s completely unaware of how extraordinary he is just adds to his charm and the story's premise.
Two things I didn't like about the book; Audrey and the ending.
I really needed Audrey to be better developed and maybe not quite as broken in the way she was. I just felt like she wasn't as real, and I felt it brought Ed's character down a bit since he loved her so much and I just couldn't really see why.
For the ending, I was just thoroughly confused. I had to reread it a few times to understand exactly what was being revealed. And then I just felt like it was lacking, after all of these amazing life-changing ideas Ed comes to, the ending was just lackluster. I think I would have liked the book more if there hadn't been this "big" reveal.
Synopsis: Ed Kennedy is an underage cabdriver without much of a future. He's pathetic at playing cards, hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey, and utterly devoted to his coffee-drinking dog, the Doorman. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery. That's when the first ace arrives in the mail. That's when Ed becomes the messenger. Chosen to care, he makes his way through town helping and hurting (when necessary) until only one question remains: Who's behind Ed's mission?