I Am The Messenger

This is the second book by Markus Zusak which I have read. The first is the famous, movie tie-in and very compelling read The Book Thief.

                         


Plot Summary
"I am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak tells the story of a 19-year old cab driver challenged by an unknown benefactor to become a better person by helping those around him. Through a series of assignments given to him on the aces from a deck of playing cards, Ed Kennedy learns to face his fears. He is able to rise above his feelings of incompetence as he helps others in areas where they need the help the most. Some of the messages that Ed receives are as simple as buying an ice cream cone for a struggling single mother while others put Ed in positions of real danger. At the conclusion of the novel, Ed learns that he is not only the messenger, but also the message as the man who sent Ed on his journey of self-improvement tells Ed he has learned that even an ordinary man can live beyond normal expectations.

Ed's journey begins when he becomes involved in a bungled bank robbery and helps police capture the robber by grabbing the robber's dropped gun and shooting at him. When Ed testifies at the trial for the bank robber, the robber threatens Ed, telling him that he is a dead man. A short time prior to this, Ed had received in the mail an Ace of Diamonds with three addresses and times listed on it. Ed becomes aware that he is supposed to help the people who are listed on these addresses. Through the course of the story, Ed works his way through all of the aces as well as the joker card. Those he helps include an elderly lady needing reassurance that she treated her husband right and a family who needs a new string of Christmas light to make their holiday bright. Ed is even called to give messages to his closest friends and family members.

Ed's last message, delivered on the joker card, is for Ed himself. During the delivery of this message, Ed learns that he is not only the messenger, but also the message as he shows the man who put Ed's entire journey into motion that people, even ordinary ones, can rise about their perceived abilities to make a difference in the world. Through his journey, Ed becomes more confident in his abilities and improves as a human being. Even Audrey, who is the love of Ed's life but has never allowed herself to love Ed, recognises Ed's goodness as she finally gives in to his love. There is also a twist at the conclusion of the novel as Ed learns the identity of the man who has sent him all of the messages.

My Take On This Book

This book is geared for young adults. The narrator and protagonist Ed Kennedy is described in this book as the epitome of ordinariness. He is the least successful of all his siblings and becomes the brunt of his mother's verbal abuse because he is the one still living in the same town as she is.

There are in fact many of us who feel that we live a very mediocre existence. Even those of us way beyond the young adult stage in life. A lot of the time we ask ourselves what is it that we had done that we can be proud of ourselves.
Ed Kennedy is a sensitive and caring young man despite his ordinariness. Some other young person might just tosses away the card without giving it a second thought. Ed takes the trouble to visit the addresses written on the first card, just commencing his adventures into doing something good, big or small, for others. To me, the gist of this book is making effort at helping others. It does you good to help others. It makes you feel better about yourself, improves your relationships with families and friends and you will be surprised at what you can learn from the experiences.
I love the Ed Kennedy character because he is a reader and he loves his dog, the Doorman, very much.