I Am The Messenger is another book by Markus Zusak, the author of the wonderful novel The Book Thief. (If you haven't read The Book Thief, I'll say that I consider it worthy of having a permanent spot on a shelf next to To Kill A Mockingbird and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It is stunning.) I Am The Messenger is about Ed Kennedy, a 19-year old cab driver living in a suburb of Sydney, Australia. Ed and his friends are from the wrong side of the tracks. They're pretty aimless, going nowhere fast, and working in dead end jobs, if they have jobs at all. Then one day Ed thwarts a bank robbery, after which he finds his life taking some unexpected turns.
I loved this book! Really, really loved it. The story had elements that reminded me of A Christmas Carol or It's A Wonderful Life. In another way it reminded me of a book that I read a number of years ago: The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder. But I Am The Messenger is utterly original and beautiful. It is labeled a young adult novel, but please don't let that keep you from reading it. Zusak is a gifted writer and this is an outstanding book.
(Cross-posted at, yup, the Spring Reading Challenge.)
8 comments:
Sounds interesting. I sometimes like those young reads better.
Somewhere I was just reading, the writer referred to young adult novels as a "well-kept secret." I tend to agree.
Got a copy of The Book Thief. It awaits on the summer reading shelf.
Suzy, I'm glad that you posted -- I've missed your voice.
It was "I Am the Messenger" that first brought me to "Book Thief".. which I bought because you told me to and which I also have on my summer reading shelf. Does it take a while to get into it? I read the first chapter and had a hard time. But that wasn't the best time in my life to be reading something important.. will be trying again soon.
Right now I'm reading "Censoring Science" about Jim Hansen and global warming and how the whole concept has been treated by the public and successive administrations for the past three decades. It's a very.. shall we say interesting read, but tends to get a little rambly.
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Terry, it did take a little while to get into it and figure out what was going on. I don't know if I could handle Censoring Science.
Will I see you on the 21st at RPO?
And, beeteedub, happy Mothers' Day!
Hey, suzy, I'll have you know that when you described the book as deserving a place alongside my two favorite books of all time I e-tailed it over to Audible to buy the audio version. I started it last night and agree that it's a tad hard to get into, but then the listener reviews at Audible.com were as glowing as your own, so I am looking forward to it.
Jess, did you get The Book Thief or I Am The Messenger?
The Book Thief
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