I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak is the story of Ed Kennedy, an underage cab driver who lives in a boring town and spends his days not living up to his potential. He hangs out with a trio of similarly aimless friends, struggles to get along with his difficult mother, and takes care of his loyal and offensively smelly dog, the Doorman. Ed is headed nowhere fast and he doesn't much seem to care.

His singularly unimpressive life veers off course, however, when he manages to foil a bank robbery and receives a playing card in the mail. The card lists the addresses of three people who need Ed's help. Heeding the inexplicable lure of the card, Ed becomes the Messenger, going from address to address and giving the people he finds what they need.

As he finishes helping the people on the cards he receives, new cards arrive with new people to help. Suddenly, Ed's life has a purpose. The cards test him in ways he hasn't been tested before, and he experiences the best and worst of people as he works his way through the names. He knows he is doing good work, but he is still bothered by the mystery of where these cards are coming from. Who is he working for, and why was he chosen for this mission? The answer, when it comes, will change Ed's understanding of the world.

Markus Zusak seems to have a knack for writing books that make a deep impression on me. The Book Thief was stunning and I Am the Messenger is similarly fantastic. These titles could not be more different from each other, but they share an emotional complexity that sticks with you long after you read their final pages.

As with The Book Thief, I Am the Messenger feels true.  At the beginning of the story, Ed is in a place that most of us can relate to--a young adult, not really sure who he is or what he wants to do with his life. When the cards start coming, he becomes a better version of himself. He begins to follow his instincts and help others. Sometimes the help is easy, like keeping an elderly woman company.  Sometimes the help is more difficult, like stopping a violent man from abusing his family.  With each name crossed off his list, Ed grows in confidence and inner strength. He matures through kindnesses, big and small, and ultimately realizes that lifting up others is the best way to lift up yourself.

This book revolves around the idea that each of us can make a difference in the world, that kindness and consideration for others has value, and that being helpful is important. These are philosophies that I wholeheartedly agree with, so this story had me from the moment Ed received his first card.

Aside from the theme, the language was beautiful, the characters were interesting, and the plot was well-paced. I was completed engaged in the story from beginning to end. The best moment of all was in the final pages of the novel, in which Zusak play a trick that I didn't see coming.  At first I was a little confused by the ending, but after a few moments of reflecting, the truth dawned on me and I was highly impressed. I've never read anything like it, and that's really saying something for me.

I Am the Messenger is undoubtedly the best book I've read so far this year. It was special to me in a way that is difficult to describe. I haven't heard many people talk about this one--The Book Thief is the Zusak novel that gets the lion's share of attention. However, this one is most definitely worth a read.  Ed Kennedy and his mission will worm their way into your brain and make you see the world differently. I love it when I find a new favorite.