I Am the Messenger: Markus Zusak

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Gainax Ending: A totally non-fantasy story suddenly turns Post Modern when The Chessmaster turns out to be the author himself. He's a pretty nice guy, and even gives Ed the book's manuscript. After a bit of navel-contemplating, Ed decides to go on living his life. Both the ending and the entire book is unrealistic, concocted and too simplified making it childish in tone. The story is drawn as a mystery. The things that happen just would not happen! I would recommend the book to young teenagers not looking for realism, who love mysteries and a dash of romance. 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. Rape as Drama: One of the first people he has to help is a woman whose husband rapes her regularly.

I know, I know, they're far from carbon copies of each other's but I cannot help but think that I would have enjoyed I Am the Messenger more if I wasn't a huge fan of Amélie Poulain and her missions. What can I say, the story was more fun in Montmartre... One last remark that I want to mention is the question of righteousness. In the story, Ed does various things to deliver the messages that will in the end up bettering peoples’ lives, bettering humanity. My issue does not concern the “positive” acts but the once in which he employs violence. Whenever something like this happens in a story, I just find myself questioning what is right and wrong. Because who are we to decide what message needs delivering? Who are we to decide how someone else should live? Who are we to pass judgment? Of course the results in the novel are purely positive, but I couldn’t help but wonder if what Ed was doing really was the best course of action. It didn't take me long to be utterly annoyed by him and his behavior. At times, he was straight-up creepy and grossed me out. I couldn't stress enough, how much I love and adore this book. I would recommend it to anyone who are looking for a read that will leave you thinking about life, reality, yourself, others, and a bunch of other things in between. If you pass your mouse over the star choices, 1 star reads "did not like it"! This does not necessarily mean it is a terrible book, only that the reviewer did not like it. People like different things, right?! This book did not fit me. Hopefully, by explaining my reaction others will be better able to decide if they will like the book or not.

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Choosing a favorite quote this time was just like choosing a favorite child, but there was one I needed to share: Fortunately, the story isn’t about Ed feeling sorry for himself, instead, it’s about his growth. Seeing the confidence he gained with every delivered message was beautiful and I loved following his development throughout the story.

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.I couldn't understand him. And I was starting to fear that maybe I won't like the book after all. Reflecting now, I realize how frivolous that fear is. This book was destined to be a favorite of mine. It just was.

The sender of the aces delivers the next one via two messengers who beat Ed unconscious to make a point about his insolent attitude. The clue on the ace of clubs is cryptic, and another messenger leads Ed to the card’s missions via a memory-laden path, where he comes to terms with his image of himself as slow and dumb. The message sends him to a priest, a single mother, and a teenage punk with a chip on his shoulder. Father O’Reilly becomes an ally on this fateful journey, encouraging Ed to accept his calling to goodness. Angie Carusso, the single mother of three who gave up her freedom, must work out her own salvation. And Gavin Rose teaches Ed to accept the risks and painful consequences of intervening in people’s lives. With the ace of spades, a wonderful family man restores Ed’s memory of his father. The discovery of Ed’s mother Bev’s marital unfaithfulness discredits her treatment of his father, and by extension, Ed. In movie theater projectionist Bernie Price, Ed meets a kindred spirit who helps him with the next missions. Ed grows as he develops new skills to connect with people, receiving insight and developing compassion that allows him to discard his old self. Now, this guy is just a cab driver with no ambition, so he doesn't really want to get involved... but it turns out, he doesn't have much choice. And, there are 3 more aces to go. Ed’s one of the latter. He tells the story in his own words. His dad’s dead and he’s always been the least favourite of Ma’s kids, so his relationship with her is awkward. It’s not what he would choose, but it is what it is.I must clarify; the message is sweet and simplified, even if some of the book’s events are quite disturbing. Me: OUT. OUT. OUT NOW. * grips him by the collar and drags him to the cross at the top of the screen* YOU DONUT I AM SO DONE WITH YOU. I couldn't help but fall in love his brutal honesty a bit. Mostly when I meet male protagonists they are unabashedly meretricious and boastful about their sexual prowess. So it was nice to have someone different like Ed. But only later did I begin to realize how unique a protagonist Mr. Zusak had presented. An Aesop: "If a guy like you can stand up and do what you did for all those people, well, maybe everyone can. Maybe everyone can live beyond what they're capable of." In Ed’s rough and tumble world, there’s no clear threshold to adulthood. Coming of age happens early on the street when your childhood has been spent just surviving. Boys like Gavin Rose have already learned to defend themselves like men, many of them emerging from their youth as brutes and bullies. Teenage girls like Suzanne Boyd have babies and become a source of shame to their families. Children like Ed reject continuing their education after high school and enter the workforce early while fathers drink away the family income. Women like Audrey whose innocence was abused avoid situations where they must trust and feel vulnerable.

Me: * to readers again* As you can see, the MC is a contradictory, oblivious, absurd cinnamon roll— 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. This was noticeable in the end in particular. The ending in general seemed completely disconnected from the rest. It made zero sense to me, there was no good lead up or anything. And worst of all, it left me with the question: What was the point? That's not a question you want to ask yourself after finishing a book. I didn't even feel satisfied or happy that I was finally at the end. I felt angry that I kept holding on to hope that the story might get better. And afterwards, I fell into a horrible reading slump for over a month. So thanks for that!

Ed: Oh wait you were asking about me? Sorry I kinda stopped listening the moment you said Edward cause I first had to establish the basics haha we good?