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I am the Messenger

by Markus Zusak (Goodreads Author)

4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 · rating details · 35,497 ratings · 5,020 reviews

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 m...more

Paperback, 368 pages

Published May 9th 2006 by Knopf Books for Young Readers (first published October 1st 2002)

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Nov 18, 2011 Maja rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-a-dtb, readalong, wonders-from-down-under, all-the-right-choices, amazing-writing, contemporary-fiction, favorites, male-pov, never-saw-it-coming, reviewed-in-2011

My full name’s Ed Kennedy. I’m nineteen. I’m an underage cabdriver. I’m typical of many of the young men you see in this suburban outpost of the city – not a whole lot of prospects or possibility. That aside, I read more books than I should, and I’m decidedly crap at sex and doing my taxes. Nice to meet you.

After accidentally preventing a bank robber from escaping, Ed Kennedy receives his first playing card with three addresses written on it. He understands that he needs to deliver a message to...more My full name’s Ed Kennedy. I’m nineteen. I’m an underage cabdriver. I’m typical of many of the young men you see in this suburban outpost of the city – not a whole lot of prospects or possibility. That aside, I read more books than I should, and I’m decidedly crap at sex and doing my taxes. Nice to meet you.

After accidentally preventing a bank robber from escaping, Ed Kennedy receives his first playing card with three addresses written on it. He understands that he needs to deliver a message to each of these places, but the card offers no further instructions. Relying on his intuition alone, Ed starts touching people’s lives and trying to understand what he has to do. The messages vary from simple to horribly complex and painful, but they all have one thing in common: they need Ed to shake them up and save them from themselves.

I think the most wonderful thing about Zusak is the surprising humanity of his characters. Not only do they come alive for the reader, but they also take so many different roles in the process. Their simple acts of kindness often end up being impressive and life-changing. I’d noticed this about so many characters in The Book Thief and I feared it was a one-time deal, but Ed might be the best of them all. In complete contrast to the ending, Ed is one of the most real and tangible characters I’ve ever stumbled upon. The fact that he’s completely unaware of how extraordinary he is just adds to his charm. My only regret is that the same cannot be said about Audrey. I really needed her to be just as well developed, but she was the only one who didn’t feel real to me, and that’s the sole reason for my 4-star rating.

I Am the Messenger will make you happy in at least three ways: it will give you a truly authentic, approachable story that will go straight through your heart, it will make you examine the way you treat complete strangers and it will catch you completely off guard.
I wish I could hold up that knife and tear open the world. I’d slice it open and climb through to the next one.
In bed, I cling to that thought.

I suppose many people will not be comfortable with the ending. I thought it was unexpected, brilliant (like the man himself), mind-blowing (still picking up the pieces) and audacious. It didn’t take anything from the story, it didn’t diminish the importance of any of the characters, and it added an extra dose of memorability the book wouldn’t necessarily have otherwise.

Choosing a favorite quote this time was just like choosing a favorite child, but there was one I needed to share:
What would you do if you were me? Tell me. Please tell me! But you’re far from this. Your fingers turn the strangeness of these pages that somehow connect my life to yours. Your eyes are safe. The story is just another few hundred pages of your mind. For me, it’s here. It’s now. I have to go through with this, considering the cost at every turn. Nothing will ever be the same.

For this and more of our reviews, visit The Nocturnal Library

Thanks to the lovely Jasprit for reading this with me.

(less)

69 likes · like · see review

Apr 06, 2012 Dan Schwent rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Dan by: The lovely and talented Emily Scherrer

Shelves: 2012, homework-from-the-ladies, young-adultery, man-tears

Nineteen year old cab driver Ed Kennedy foils a bank robbery and soon finds himself receiving cryptic messages in the mail written on playing cards. Each card bears hints toward three people Ed must help in some way. Will Ed ever find out who is behind is mysterious messages?

Apart from books by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, this is my first foray into young adult literature and I enjoyed it immensely.

I think the first thing that pulled me in was that Ed is a lot like I was at nineteen. I like...more

58 likes · like · see review

Apr 15, 2009 Shelly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: listened-to-on-ipod

I downloaded this on itunes today because my job is super boring and I like to have stuff to listen to and/or watch online. Plus it's popular with some friends, and I'm a follower like that. Anyway, I had to force myself to turn it off today so that I would have something to look forward to tomorrow. I'm halfway through. The story and the reader's voice are mesmerizing! Don't want it to end.

Review starts here:

There's a series on PBS about these doctors--it may even be called "The Doctors," (can...more I downloaded this on itunes today because my job is super boring and I like to have stuff to listen to and/or watch online. Plus it's popular with some friends, and I'm a follower like that. Anyway, I had to force myself to turn it off today so that I would have something to look forward to tomorrow. I'm halfway through. The story and the reader's voice are mesmerizing! Don't want it to end.

Review starts here:

There's a series on PBS about these doctors--it may even be called "The Doctors," (can't remember)--anyway it's a documentary that follows a handful of Harvard Medical students from their first days in the classroom, to residency, to their eventual careers. I haven't seen each episode but my boyfriend was telling me how one of the students went on to become an ophthalmologist and would go to third world countries to examine people and hand out glasses every chance he got. He (the doctor) also confessed to being lonely because he worked so much and went on to talk about how when he retires he wants to travel and distribute more glasses. My reaction was that a lot people who recognize where there is a need somewhere see it as something so overwhelming that even if they were to do something THAT something wouldn't be enough so they choose to do nothing (or, at least I tend to feel that way). Whereas this guy is working hard and when the time comes for him to stop working and take some time for himself and his family all he can think about is all the people out there whose lives would be improved if they just had a new pair of glasses. So simple. God bless him.

This, for me, is the message of Zusak's "I Am The Messenger": You don't have to be great to do good, you just have to do it. The story's protagonist, Ed Kennedy, is (as the book emphasizes) an ordinary 19 year old guy. He has no special skills, or talents. He's not really strong, or really funny, or really good at math. He's a cabbie who plays cards with his friends and has had a crush on the same girl since he sprouted his first pube but is way too passive and laid-back to do anything about it, like, for example, move on when it's not reciprocated. Ed's Mom is a complete nag who makes it clear to him that she prefers his siblings to him and that she expects nothing more from him than for him to fuck up.
Yet Ed, like most ordinary 19 year olds, doesn't dwell on his unfortunate relationship with his mother. Or the unfortunate state of affairs that are his life.

But the unfortunate byproduct of Ed's unfortunate obliviousness to the reality of the world around him is that Ed is missing out on the big things. Like he says at one point "Big things are just the small things you notice." (Or something like that.)

Much like The Ghost of Christmas Past or Earl's list of bad deeds he must apologize for in the name of Karma, an outside source enters Ed's life to help lead him off the road of mediocrity and onto the road of good deeds. Ed's messages from an ominous stranger come in the form of playing cards in his mailbox with cryptic clues written on the back that Ed then must decipher and act upon. Ed has no clue who's behind the cards, or what the purpose of all this is but he carries on, unwittingly improving the lives of all the other ordinary people around him and in the process coming to understand himself, his mother, his friends and the girl who is the object of his desire on a deeper level.

What I loved so much about this book, aside from the writing and the characters and the setting and the suspense and the emotion, was that despite the novel's outlandishness, Ed's achievements and his impact on others is completely believable. You know that there is nothing significant about Ed. He has no superpowers, his acts of goodness were not preordained. Yet you don't doubt for a second that Ed's simple deeds make his world a better place.

This story is sweet and thrilling and captivating and inspiring. I have no idea what makes it a "Young Adult" book and I refuse to be embarrassed for liking it so much. Unlike "The Hills" which is clearly young adult and something any person over the age of 21 should be embarrassed to admit to liking. Fucking Spencer! What an asshole! (less)

50 likes · like · see review

Jul 15, 2008 Annalisa rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: older youth, as in not really youth anymore

Recommended to Annalisa by: amy m

Shelves: young-adult, book-club, literary, favorites

I can't seem to get enough Zusak. Once again his language is magic. Instead of falling into the "he (or she) said" pitfall, the dialogue takes on the action of the predominant emotion. If he wants to reach for a friend, the words reach. And the way he breaks his sentences to evoke emotional pauses is poetic. Plus it makes his stories delectably quick to read. The perfect combination of length and pause. But his prose is not even the most powerful thing about his writing. Zusak pulls the words li...more I can't seem to get enough Zusak. Once again his language is magic. Instead of falling into the "he (or she) said" pitfall, the dialogue takes on the action of the predominant emotion. If he wants to reach for a friend, the words reach. And the way he breaks his sentences to evoke emotional pauses is poetic. Plus it makes his stories delectably quick to read. The perfect combination of length and pause. But his prose is not even the most powerful thing about his writing. Zusak pulls the words lingering on the edge of your brain as if you'd written them yourself. In a way, his writing transcends language.

Here we have an ordinary 19-year-old taxi driver who is going nowhere with his life and has no plans to ever make something of himself either. When Ed inadvertently foils a bank robbery, he is praised as a local hero. Some people have it in them to make a stand, to be more than ordinary. That's when the assignments come. Written on the ace of diamonds are three addresses. Ed must figure out who is in need of help at these locations and what he can do to touch their lives.

As Ed engulfs himself into these strangers' lives he learns to care for them personally and insightfully discovers a message for them that will alter their lives. Sometimes the messages are easy to deliver, other times they require all he can muster to give. But always he finds the courage to follow through. And his answers are never what I would expect.

"There are countless saints who have nothing to do with church and almost no knowledge of God. But they say God walks with those people without them ever knowing it." As we follow Ed through his journey from "just another stupid person" to messenger, we see him grow emotionally as the assignments touch him deeper. In touching other people's lives he finds the purpose in his, his way of being great.

At one point he says he thought he was doing one of these people a favor but "I realize it's the opposite. I'm the privileged one." Is that not how it always is? We don't want to get involved with helping other people, even developing new friendships, because it require something from us. But what we fail to realize is what we get out of it is more than what we put in it. The effort to connect with people instead of drift through each other's lives is always worth it. This book could almost be church worthy if it weren't for the swearing and sex.

It took me a second read through the twist at the end to make the connection. If you don't understand who the random stranger sitting on his couch is, give it a second read because it adds to the purpose of the novel. I think the tool was more surreal when Vonnegut used it, but here its purpose is to bring home the powerful message of the last card and so intense in its own way.

We are left with our own challenge. We find our own names on an ace and we can take this message as ours: that anyone, no matter how ordinary can be great, and put it to practice in our own lives. Or we can discard our aces and go back to going through the motions. (less)

67 likes · like · see review

Apr 26, 2008 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: the-kids-are-all-right, gmba, favorite-authors

Stamp it on my forehead, folks. I'm here, I'm a blubbering fool, get used to it.

I didn't have high expectations going into this novel, I'd heard it wasn't as good as 'The Book Thief'(pfft...whole box of kleenix on that one). But, I finished it in 7 hours and what can I say?

Um... I.AM.A.SAP

Okay, I can see the flaws, I mean..I'm not a stupid sap. I could see the formula... I knew what was coming. But, the writing makes up for it.

Plus, a 19-year-old-suffering-from-low-self-esteem-who-has-a-severe...more

49 likes · like · see review

Apr 18, 2013 Scarlet rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: authors-i-love, printz-honor, 5-stars-worthy, almost-favorites, best-books-i-read-this-year, bittersweet, funny, it-stays-with-you, off-the-beaten-track, so-original

4.5

Like anyone who has read The Book Thief would know (and if you haven’t read The Book Thief, what in the world are you waiting for??), Markus Zusak has that unusual ability to make you go from laughing to crying in a matter of minutes. So despite the general hilarity of the book, which had me in splits before the first chapter was even up, a small part of me was subconsciously waiting for the other shoe to drop – waiting for the tears and the heartbreak I was so sure would come.

And it never ca...more

16 likes · like · see review

Jul 27, 2008 Jackie "the Librarian" rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: teens of all ages

Shelves: mysteries, teen-books-adults-can-enjoy

I threw this book across the room, and then I picked it back up, held it at arms length, and shook my head at it. And then I thought about the way it held me in suspense, how it kept the kids in my teen book group reading and thinking, and I dusted it off and gave it a hug. Markus Zusak, you bastard!
What has me reacting like a schizophrenic? Why, I can't tell YOU. That would spoil the book for you, and you really should read it. The basic plot is, a guy stops a bank robbery, gets written up in t...more

41 likes · like · see review

Mar 23, 2011 Mariel rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: George Costanza

Recommended to Mariel by: they shot the messenger

I read bunches of I Am the Messenger reviews on goodreads last night before going to bed. Maybe it was the Tylenol cold & flu, but I had dreams of this book and things in it I didn't even remember from my 2007 read. Mixed in with goodreads reviews. Like the head-hunter-honcho Blue Meanie in Yellow Submarine: everything's gone FLUEY! I liked it! Beats my old recurring dream of falling down the rabbit hole (whoops that was the Tim Burton film. Or a sex dream)...
I didn't remember that Markus Zu...more I read bunches of I Am the Messenger reviews on goodreads last night before going to bed. Maybe it was the Tylenol cold & flu, but I had dreams of this book and things in it I didn't even remember from my 2007 read. Mixed in with goodreads reviews. Like the head-hunter-honcho Blue Meanie in Yellow Submarine: everything's gone FLUEY! I liked it! Beats my old recurring dream of falling down the rabbit hole (whoops that was the Tim Burton film. Or a sex dream)...
I didn't remember that Markus Zusak appears in his own book. I'd remember with a name like that, you'd think. I was so jealous of Z names when a kid. Z meant alphabetical order placement. Unless you're an author then it might suck to be at the end of performing oral reports in class. Zusak is always on the very bottom corner in bookshelves. What if teens never bend down to get his books? Perverts would be disappointed, and they'd miss out on good books. Anyway, I totally blocked out the ending and the Christmas lights and all that decorative stuff.

I told my twin the other day that I hated the schmaltz of the homeless woman in Mary Poppins film. She said, "The old man got to me!" That was a George line from Seinfeld when caught crying over Home Alone. (My twin and I can use conversational shorthand like this and still understand each other.) In Lauren speak, that means sometimes these sentimental things get to you anyway. I like sentiment. The suffix all depends on my mood. I love Eleanor Rigby the song because it is sentiment without being sentimental. I HATED when Paul added a Phil Collins-style Another Day in Paradise video to go with it on the Anthology special. That's probably why I like the old man in Home Alone because you take him if you want him. Mary Poppins was forced guilt trip.

I don't think this book needed an ending at all. It doesn't feel like it had one in my mental imprint of it. One thing that made me so depressed reading this (and Zusak's other book Getting the Girl) is this idea that the young characters are losers of life because they don't have everything figured out, a great job and a girlfriend. Who gives a shit about that? Why would anyone stop loving the person they loved because they didn't win the latest round of Monopoly/Life? I loved Ed and his friends. Their lives made me happy. I don't care about the ending 'cause I'd rather have gone on hanging out with them. They were always good enough for me. Doing something like that, the ability to make someone happy in some small way, is good enough for me. You don't have to take the whole goddamned world onto your shoulder. No guilt trips! No schmaltz. I loved this book and I'm gonna forget that ending again.

*sob*(less)

9 likes · like · see review

Sep 04, 2007 Kevin Fanning rated it 2 of 5 stars

OK: one of the best first chapters of any book, ever. Like, SO good. Perfectly executed.

The rest of the book: I liked it. Interesting premise, moved along at a decent pace. The "twist" at the ending was good.

There are a few iffy spots, where he describes a scene and it's not at all clear what exactly just happened, or he over describes and reminds the reader that what's happening at the moment is related to something that happens previously, and you're like "OK yeah, I know, I read that 20 page...more

54 likes · like · see review

May 29, 2007 Chelsea rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: older teens

Shelves: ya, favorites

After reading The Book Thief, I went to great lengths to find another Markus Zusak book, and when I finally found this one, I couldn't have been happier. I think I read it in about two days. Markus Zusak's powerful prose is still at work, although Ed Kennedy is hardly an ideal subject for poetry. Zusak's protagonist is an underage cab driver with a coffee-addicted dog, a foul-mouthed mother, and an intense love for his best friend Audrey. Ed thinks he's destined to be another nothing of the city...more

14 likes · like · see review

Dec 18, 2012 Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star-books, books-of-summer-12, favorites, addicting-as-crack, young-adult, realistic-fiction

It's been months since I read this, so bear with me. But nonetheless, I still remember this book pretty clearly so hopefully it's not a problem.

Anyway, so basically ... THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD IT MADE ME JIZZ IN MY PANTS.

Honestly, I put off reading this book for a long time. I love The Book Thief so much that I was a little afraid to read more of Zusak's work just because my standards for his writing were set so ridiculously high.

But, I shouldn't have worried, because I Am the Messenger is also s...more

20 likes · like · see review

Jul 18, 2012 Emily added it

Shelves: didn-t-finish, 1001-children-s-books

It only took me 30 pages to decide I wasn't going to like this book. It certainly sounds like an interesting premise--cards in the mail, the need for someone to care and to act--but the language turned me off, and when the main character starts reflecting on his pathetic sex life I decided this book was not for me. It didn't help that Zusak made his characters so completely unlikable. And in only the first 30 pages! I flipped through to see what else the book might hold, but only saw more of the...more

8 likes · like · see review

Mar 07, 2009 Meaghan rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Zusak fans and people who like funny books

Shelves: childrens-young-adult-fiction

This book was hilarious -- it had one of the funniest bank robberies in the history of literature and I was often literally falling out of my chair laughing. The suspense was also well-done -- I was dying to find out who The Messenger was. The only thing I didn't like about the story was the ending. It almost ruined the whole book for me, in fact. I won't give it away except to say this: it was a cop-out. Very clever, a wonderful little literary conceit, but still a cop-out. It pissed me off. If...more

11 likes · like · see review

May 22, 2011 Isamlq rated it 5 of 5 stars

The gushing starts here:

I first came across Zusak in The Book Thief. In that one, I knew I had come across another favorite~ book or author, take your pick. And while I am the Messenger is not the same genre as the former, it is just as good as (and at certain points better than) the former. Each word, each line in it carefully chosen to paint Ed Kennedy’s world as clearly as possible. And what a world it was: one peopled with ordinary, sometimes mediocre individuals, all hilarious and quirky...more The gushing starts here:

I first came across Zusak in The Book Thief. In that one, I knew I had come across another favorite~ book or author, take your pick. And while I am the Messenger is not the same genre as the former, it is just as good as (and at certain points better than) the former. Each word, each line in it carefully chosen to paint Ed Kennedy’s world as clearly as possible. And what a world it was: one peopled with ordinary, sometimes mediocre individuals, all hilarious and quirky in their own right. And then there’s the intrigue and romance thrown in.

Like I said every word, every line was used for some impact. But the thing is I am the Messenger isn’t a just the mystery that I fear I am making it out to be. While it starts off as that, it’s simply too beautifully written, to just be called just a mystery or just a romance or just a young adult contemporary fiction. Even if it is all of the above.

Ed is ordinary. He has a job he hates, a dog that stinks but loves nonetheless, some friends he hangs out with, and a best friend whom he loves but doesn’t reciprocate. He is the epitome of ordinariness, that is, until they get held up. Thereafter, he finds himself tasked to accomplish some small and big things for people unknown to him. The ‘why’ is unknown. The ‘by whom’ is likewise a mystery.

I hope it doesn’t just come across as just a mystery because it's so much more. There are a lot of memorable moments in it. The romantic sap in me was blinking back tears when his friends got his moment! The happy daughter that I am had a lump in her throat for Ed and his mother. The happily-ever-after addict that I am was was knitting her brows trying to figure out what the ending was about, praying it wasn’t another one of those Stranger Than Fiction moments.

Mostly, it was the simple tasks that he had to accomplish that touched me: an ice cream, some companionship and honesty. And it’s funny. He and his friends, the way they talked to each other, how they mocked each other, and simply hung out… had me laughing a lot. Yes, they were annoying at times, But I really enjoyed hanging out with the bunch of them.

Beautiful.

4.5/5(less)

8 likes · like · see review

Feb 17, 2013 Raya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, addicting-books, quick-fun, read-good-feel-good, mister-ee

Sometimes I walk to that field and sink to my knees. I hear my heart beating, but I don’t want to. I hate my heartbeat. It’s too loud in that field. It falls down. Right out of me. But then it just gets back up again.

Applause for Markus Zusak, for he has stunned me dumb and wordless not once but twice. This does not happen too often, because whatever I think can usually find its way out of my mouth in coherence. The Book Thief ripped my tongue off and all I felt capable of doing was making wound...more

4 likes · like · see review

Feb 25, 2012 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book has "moments" of great writing. It "at times" touches on or "skitters past" some real insights. Possibly it brushes up against them and then glances away. The opening "sequence" chapters, or cards seemed to me to go on forever and I was more than ready to move on. It was a case of "okay I get it, your a ne'er-do-well, your mother disrespects you, your father's dead (and you miss him). It was tragic, he was a drunk, your mother was disillusioned and made him and now makes you miserable....more

6 likes · like · see review

Oct 19, 2009 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, ya, fiction

Ed Kennedy is nineteen and a bit of a bum. He lives in a fibro shack in an outer suburb of Sydney with his incredibly stinky old dog, the Doorman, spends his off-time playing cards with his deadbeat mates Audrey, Marv and Ritchie, and drives a taxi to pay the bills. His dad died six months before, his siblings have all moved away, and his mum seems to hate him. He has no ambition, no plans, and the only thing he knows he wants is Audrey, who loves him back but refuses to be anything but a friend...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jan 12, 2009 Hillary rated it 1 of 5 stars

I wanted so badly to like this book because I liked the Book Thief so much, but I just couldn’t. I couldn’t get past the constant swearing, the sweaty smelly characters, and the story line kept shifting back and forth from horribly bad to decent and the decent didn’t compensate for the horrific. . In the Book Thief the charm of the characters seemed to make up for their lack of poise and class, this book couldn’t pull that off.

17 likes · like · see review

Jan 26, 2012 Shauna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lua and Marie are holding hands.
They look like they’re so happy, just inside this moment, watching the kids and the lights on their old fibro house.
Lua kisses her.
Just softly on the lips.
And she kisses back.
Sometimes people are beautiful.
Not in looks.
Not in what they say.
Just in what they are.

Ed, our protagonist, is a loser. A loser, but a beautiful person. In the way he is, and the way he views and interacts with the world around him. He deserves so much better than what he has and this book is...more

3 likes · like · see review

May 16, 2011 Shirley Marr rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: aussie-ya

Having read the rest of Markus Zusak's catalogue, I was excited about this - a tale about card-playing, taxi-driving, lovable-loser Ed who's ordinary lives is tipped sideways and weird sh!t goes down when he starts recieving cryptic playing-cards in his letterbox with instructions to carry out. Ed suddenly finds himself as The Messenger under the mercy of a mysterious stranger whose intentions he does not know.

I knew I would love it. I just never expected to be having a love-hate-relationship-Ba...more

14 likes · like · see review

Jul 11, 2012 Alyssa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, 2012-read, a-favourite-author, a-guy-of-ya, actually-funny, apparently-hipster, confused-feelings, contemporary, emotional, great-realistic-fiction, highly-anticipated, i-love-this-cover, mystery-suspense, only-okay, retrying-this-one, surprised-me, what-a-weird-book, ya-romance, ya-loved, some-foxy-aussie

Before I Am the Messenger, I often wondered how Zusak’s ideas come about. I’ve read his most popular novel to date, and was very curious as to how he could go about successfully writing a book set during WWII that stars a fourteen year old orphan who steals books, and is narrated by Death. Since reading I Am the Messenger, though, I’ve stopped wondering, because I’m beginning to believe this man is a literary genius, and that questions should no longer be asked of him because everything he does...more Before I Am the Messenger, I often wondered how Zusak’s ideas come about. I’ve read his most popular novel to date, and was very curious as to how he could go about successfully writing a book set during WWII that stars a fourteen year old orphan who steals books, and is narrated by Death. Since reading I Am the Messenger, though, I’ve stopped wondering, because I’m beginning to believe this man is a literary genius, and that questions should no longer be asked of him because everything he does just works, and that we should leave it all at that.

Ed's a nineteen year old cabbie who lives in a shack with his dog, The Doorman. The highlight of his pretty mundane week is when he and his best pals – and truwuv – get together to play cards, drink a lot of booze, and cuss out each other for their stupid, unreliable cars and how much paying the bills sucks. For a while, Ed is content with cruising through life. But then he stops a robber at the bank, and suddenly, these playing cards start showing up in his mailbox. These cards have names and addresses of people in his town, and for some reason, somebody chose Ed – of all people – to go and save their lives.

Ed, and most of the supporting cast, were excellently written; through Ed’s hilarious and often heartbreaking narration, and through every individual’s unique voice, Zusak highlights the difficult life of a young adult trying to pull through to adulthood, and feeds the story with the reality check it needs. The cast was so lovable that I felt apart of their crew, and though I thought Zusak went wrong in writing Audrey, the love interest, I don’t think this story could have worked without such a great group of characters.

There are many themes and messages to be discovered hidden between the lines of this book, notions that are rarely written in YA but were ingeniously incorporated by Zusak. Ed’s story is crazy and totally far-fetched, but there’s a substance beneath all the odd creativity that makes all the weird plotlines worthwhile. What’s unfortunate – and I blame the layout of this novel for this – is that you won’t know of all the awesome stuff in this book until the very last little bit as everything wraps up, which is just a little bit too late for the tastes of many readers. I gave up on this book five times before sticking through to the end, and though I’m glad I decided to continue through, it was a tiresome feat to be confused and lost for more than half the book.

I’m not sure I’d recommend this book, despite all its great qualities, themes and one-liners. In my experience, it wasn’t too readable until the last third of the book, and when there are so many other books around to be read, sometimes it’s hard to hold on for so many pages. I guess I’d recommend this book to readers who don’t mind the wait, because there is a gem lying in between the pages of I Am the Messenger, if only you continue reading long enough to get there.
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May 01, 2012 Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner) marked it as to-read

Shelves: own

Oh, Ed Kennedy. I feel your pain sometimes. Ordinary, no talents, no expertise, no grand accomplishments. Everyone around you is doing great things and have great jobs but you are just stagnant. Never really changing.

I don't really know what expectations I had for this book. I had LOVED The Book Thief. It was moving, felt real honest, and unique. I guess I think maybe my only expectation for this book was to be moved.

The general storyline was intriguing enough. Our ordinary "hero" Ed finds hims...more

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 08, 2008 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2008

Ed Kennedy is your typical, directionless "slacker." At the age of nineteen, he's barely graduated high school and finds himself in a no-end job as a cab driver--and he had to forge his age up a year in order to get that job. He's got an unrequited crush on his best friend, Audrey and he and his friends are you typical group of buddies, who hang out, drink beer and play cards. One day while waiting in line at the bank, Ed thwarts a robbery. He's dubbed a hero by the local paper, but his life doe...more Ed Kennedy is your typical, directionless "slacker." At the age of nineteen, he's barely graduated high school and finds himself in a no-end job as a cab driver--and he had to forge his age up a year in order to get that job. He's got an unrequited crush on his best friend, Audrey and he and his friends are you typical group of buddies, who hang out, drink beer and play cards. One day while waiting in line at the bank, Ed thwarts a robbery. He's dubbed a hero by the local paper, but his life doesn't make any huge dramatic change.

Except for the fact that he begins receiving the aces from a deck of cards, each with a hand-written list of people, addresses or instructions. It's then up to Ed to determine what the cards mean and determine what his "mission" is based on the list. Early on, Ed befriends a lonely widow, helps a young runner and drives off a man who is abusing his family. As the story progresses, Ed's missions become more and more elaborate and slowly being to hit closer and closer to home, until he gets the final card.

In a lot of ways, "I Am the Messenger" reminded me of "Quantum Leap" or "Reaper" with a hero being given missions to have an impact on the lives of people he comes into contact with. The "Reaper" part comes from the fact that we're not quite sure who or what is behind's Ed missions until late in the story, though Marcus Zusak does a good job of planting seeds of who and what could be behind these mission early and often.

And while the question of who is behind the missions and why Ed is being assigned them is intriguing, it's the character of Ed that makes the story work so well. We're taken on the journey with Ed, finding out about him, seeing his frustration at not being able to find a connection with Audrey and wondering why how and why he's making such an impact on those around him. Ed is a fascinating character because while he's a slacker in terms of his career and his life, we see that he can become devoted to a cause and passionate. At several points, it would be easier for Ed to "give up" or throw in the towel, but he won't do so. He wants to see the missions through to their conclusion, even when it means having to help his three closest friends--and in the end, himself.

As with "The Book Thief," the power of "I Am the Messenger" comes from the language Markus Zusak uses to create his world. Told from the first-person perspective of Ed, Zusak makes some interesting choices, placing the reader inside Ed's head and though process as the story unfolds. Zusak also foregos using the he said, I said to indicate dialogue at times, making it feel as though you are right there, talking to the people with Ed.

It's a fascinating story and, yes, I will admit there were some heavily cliched moments. Zusak doesn't break new ground with the missions Ed is given and some readers may be able to guess why Ed is there before he does. But I think part of this may be the experience of having read or seen so many other stories along these lines and not a fault of the story itself. I will give Zusak credit for not making Ed take too long to realize what the purpose of his mission is and how to achieve it. He walks a fine line of having the reader be more in the loop that Ed but not making Ed seem too dense or unlikeable.

And then, there's the ending and all of its implications. It's an ending that provides closure to this story of Ed and leaves the reader hopeful for more for this character. It's the perfect and logical ending to the story. Nothing more, nothing less. And it that, it's wholly satisfying.
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Jan 20, 2012 Aly (Fantasy4eva) rated it 4 of 5 stars

RATED: 4.5

It's no 'THE BOOK THIEF' but it hold its own pretty well. Ed' a 19 year old cab driver with not much going on in his life. His sisters have married off, his brother is studying to be a lawyer, his father passed away a few months ago and his mother treats him like absolute shit. Life feels pretty hopeless but he manages to pass the time how he can. Mostly he just plays cards with his mates: Richie, Marv and the girl he is hopelessly in love with: Audrey. But then he starts to receive ca...more RATED: 4.5

It's no 'THE BOOK THIEF' but it hold its own pretty well. Ed' a 19 year old cab driver with not much going on in his life. His sisters have married off, his brother is studying to be a lawyer, his father passed away a few months ago and his mother treats him like absolute shit. Life feels pretty hopeless but he manages to pass the time how he can. Mostly he just plays cards with his mates: Richie, Marv and the girl he is hopelessly in love with: Audrey. But then he starts to receive cards in his mailbox. Cards that give him names of people and places. People and places he has to visit to make things right. As he takes on these tasks, there's a change in Ed. And I think the change is pretty obvious. He's no longer nobody. He is somebody, he has a purpose. At first I felt guilty about how I was feeling towards him. I wanted to shake him so damn bad and tell him to get over himself and stop being so pathetic. But even in his most roughed up days, he's a hell of a guy. I kind of adore him. He's so funny and witty. Completely likeable. And I think I have such a soft spot for him because I haven't come across a nice genuine guy in a book for such a long time. Because when you get down to it, he really really didn't have to do the things he did, he didn't, but he did. He visited each person on that card even when he no longer needed to. (view spoiler) I mean, come on, call him what you want but our dear Ed's a gentleman

There's a love interest. Although I don't think it would have affected me much if he didn't have one. Even though I don't know if I still like Audrey, I'm still glad he has someone he's truly fallen hard for. I mean, fuck her, I couldn't care less about her after all the heart-break she puts him through, but Ed, he deserves to to finally feel loved back. He made me laugh so much throughout the book. His mates aren't the best to love, but regardless, he deals with thier crap and is there for them when they need him. He is more patient with Audrey and his mother than they deserve, and sometimes, he has these moments where he will say something so deep that either I'll be completely charmed or just sadly touched.

The ending. At first I was just straight out pissed. But I gave it a few minutes, re - read it, and decided that I loved it. So yeah, I am so glad I read I AM THE MESSENGER. Because not only can I appreciate and wholly like a character like Ed. But when I give it some more thought. When I re -read those quotes below. I think to myself. This book is all kinds of beautiful.

I bookmarked the hell out of it. SO I just have to share a few. <3

I don’t know about Marv, but I feel a camaraderie as we kneel down and do the paint job. It feels like youth as we write the words. At one stage, I look across at my friend. Marv the argumentative. Marv the tight arse with his money. Marv with the girl who vanished.When the job’s done, he smacks me on the shoulder and we run off like handsome thieves. We both laugh and run, and the moment is so thick around me that I feel like dropping into it to let it carry me.I love the laughter of this night Our footsteps run, and I don’t want them to end. I want to run and laugh and feel like this forever. I want to avoid any awkward moment when the realness of reality sticks its fork into our flesh, leaving us standing there, together. I want to stay here, in this moment, and never go to other places, where we don’t know what to say or what to do. For now, just let us run. We run straight through the laughter of the night.

His angry hair shrouds his face. His freckles light up under the streetlight.I look at the boy and think about what I have to do.I wonder if these Rose boys have ever been tested in the world.They’re about to be.

She cries, momentarily, as she watches. She allows herself at least that. There are tears on her face and ice cream on her lips. It doesn’t taste like it used to.

His car doesn’t start.“Not one word.” He eyes me.We both snigger slightly.This is a good day. I can feel it.

I watch her all the way up the street, till she turns the corner. Just before she does, she knows I’m standing there, and she turns one last moment and waves. In answer, I hold up my hand, and she’s gone.Slowly. At times painfully. Audrey is killing me.

“I just want you”—she breaks it—“to make something of yourself.” Slowly she makes her way to the front steps and says, “You have to realize something, Ed.”“What?” “Believe it or not—it takes a lot of love to hate you like this.”I try to understand.

Behind me, I hear a father talking to his son.“Do that again,” he says, “and I’ll kick your arse so hard you’ll fall into the fire.” His voice sweetens sardonically. “And we wouldn’t want that now, would we? Santa won’t be too impressed with that, will he now? No, he won’t.”Marv, Ritchie, and I all enjoy hearing that.“Ahhh,” Ritchie sighs happily. “This is what Christmas is all about.”We’ve all heard that from our fathers. At least once.

I cried at his funeral.I let the tears trample my face in complete silence, guilty that I couldn’t even summon the courage to speak about him. I knew everyone there was only thinking about what a drunk he was, while I was remembering the other things as well.“He was a gentleman,” I whisper now.

“I’m sorry,” I tell him now as I get up to leave. “I’m so sorry, Dad.”I walk away, afraid.Afraid because I don’t want my own funeral to be that forlorn and empty.I want words at my funeral.But I guess that means you need life in your life. Walking now Just walking. Just walking.

I hold the card and drop the catalog book to the counter.Bernie’s concerned. “What is it, Ed?”I look at him and say, “Wish me luck, Bernie. Wish me the heart to get through this.” He does.Still holding the card, I walk out onto the street. Outside, I meet the darkness and uncertainty of what will come next.I feel the fear, but I walk fast toward it.

I realize I’m alone.I’m alone because there’s a young man with blood across his mouth who has taken a few extra steps. He’s walked forward, toward the house. The girl he used to meet in the field and make love to till dawn is on the porch They’re staring, each to each.

“Thank you,” I say, but they don’t hear me. It seems a shame that they never will.
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May 14, 2013 Airiz C rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, ouch-my-heart, my-favorites, inspirational, humor, heroes-to-die-for, drama

Ed Kennedy's CV isn't at all impressive. All that's in there are underage cabdriver, hopeless friendzone-dweller, and professional nobody. He lets most of his time trickle by in his shabby shack, playing cards with his friends and drinking coffee with his smelly dog. At nineteen he has come to accept that his life is headed nowhere…until he inadvertently foils a bank robbery. He is temporarily hailed a hero by the local media, and just when he thinks the hype is dying, he receives an ace in the...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 03, 2011 Jo rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, down-under, you-got-a-friend-in-me

Initial Final Page Thoughts.
Say what?

High Points.
The beginning- what a hilarious opening. Hopefully I’ll never be caught in the middle of a bank heist, but I just know that if I ever were, that is exactly how I would act. Marv and Richie! The Doorman. Australia! Pa-pa-pa-poker faaaace. Mystery. Intrigue. Clues. (Most of) The messages were beautiful and made my little northern ice-heart melt.

Low Point.
I am still undecided about whether I liked Ed, I’ll discuss this more in the hero section. Even...more

7 likes · like · see review

Nov 06, 2011 Choco rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 0-loved

It took me a long time to pick up this book and start reading it because I LOVED The Book Thief so much. I was scared to be disappointed and let down because I didn't believe anyone who has written a book that good could have created another book that's good. Weird logic? Bet it makes sense to some of you.

Zusak's love for stupid humans (we are all stupid in a way) is evident, and characters and what happens to them in The Messenger are both funny and beautiful. As I read about Ed, Marv and other...more

7 likes · like · see review

Apr 15, 2009 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. ***Update***

My review sucks. If you want to read a great review of this book, click here:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Shelly said everything way better than I ever could.

***
Does anyone remember that insipid movie Pay It Forward? It starred Haley Joel Osment and Kevin Spacey. Osment played a kid who received an assignment from his teacher (Spacey) to help three people and then tell those people to help three people in return. In theory, those three people would help three more people,...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 14, 2008 Moses rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-of-07-08

After reading the Book Thief, I did not hesitate to read Markus Zusak's other book, I Am The Messenger. The question was, would it live up to the Book Thief?

The answer is yes--and no.

First of all, if you're looking for the same historical epic the Book Thief was, forget it. This was actually written two years before the Book Thief, and so Zusak is still finding his flaws and his strengths and applying them. Secondly, this is a more gritty, modern novel, and if you don't like that style, woe be t...more After reading the Book Thief, I did not hesitate to read Markus Zusak's other book, I Am The Messenger. The question was, would it live up to the Book Thief?

The answer is yes--and no.

First of all, if you're looking for the same historical epic the Book Thief was, forget it. This was actually written two years before the Book Thief, and so Zusak is still finding his flaws and his strengths and applying them. Secondly, this is a more gritty, modern novel, and if you don't like that style, woe be to the reader.

The style is due to the plot more than anything else. Nineteen-year old Ed Kennedy is a wipeout taxi driver who is the perfect image of mediocrity. His friends are the idiot, the logical one, and the lazy ass, respectively. His dog is addicted to coffee and Mom won't treat him with the respect she treats his siblings with.

Then he accidentally stops a bank robbery.

After his 15 minutes of fame, Ed receives the first message: an Ace playing card with a list of addresses and times.

So there you have it. A simple setup will eventually blow out to a list of twisted missions. Sadly, this is where one of the principle flaws of the book lie. There is one story. No subplots. No random interludes. People with short attention spans may drop the book in some of the more confusing or boring moments.

Thankfully, the book's characters bring the dimension to the story. Ed is an understandable, down-to-earth guy who we respect and want to do good. His friends, while not perfect role models, are supportive, funny, and real. The addresses hold many interesting people in store, and even though most of them aren't angels, they're at least honest. You can see the story unfolding in real-life because the people are real-life.

While I Am The Messenger isn't flawless, its honesty and wit make it a winner to read. If I ever get to compiling a list of favorites, no doubt this will be somewhere close to the top.

EDIT: This book does contain some mild sexual situations, but none of them are explicit, so it's okay.(less)

6 likes · like · see review

Aug 27, 2009 Rachel rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Tony, Nathan

Recommended to Rachel by: Annalisa,Cami

Shelves: favorites

In reading this book, there were times I teared up. Nothing sad, just the power of Zusak's words. There are beautiful books out there, ones that are lovely and I float away in, but Zusak's words make me feel like I'm really living them or writing them myself. That is how connected I feel. I feel like he's in my head or I'm in his and somehow we are laughing together over little things. He writes the exact way that I see things. Maybe it's the poet in me where inanimate objects come to life or th...more

12 likes · like · see review

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topics	posts	views	last activity
I hated the ending at first, but have now digested it and think I like it.	6	23	Jun 17, 2013 08:59am
I did not care for The Book Thief, is this better?	6	24	Jun 17, 2013 08:57am
SPOILER Question about the ending	37	704	Jun 06, 2013 08:46am
Major Themes ?	2	10	Jun 02, 2013 11:56pm

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About Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak is the author of five books, including the international bestseller, The Book Thief, which has topped bestseller lists ranging from the New York Times in America, the Sunday Times in the UK, as well as countries in Europe, South America and Asia.

His first three books, The Underdog, Fighting Ruben Wolfe and When Dogs Cry, released between 1999 and 2001, were all published international...more

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Fighting Ruben Wolfe (Wolfe Brothers, #2)

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“Sometimes people are beautiful.
Not in looks.
Not in what they say.
Just in what they are.” — 12,092 people liked it

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