I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
Published: February 8, 2005
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
(357 pages, hardcover)
Summary: Meet Ed Kennedy—underage cabdriver, pathetic cardplayer, and useless at romance. He lives in a shack with his coffee-addicted dog, the Doorman, and he’s hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence, until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery. That’s when the first Ace arrives. That’s when Ed becomes the messenger. . .

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Chosen to care, he makes his way through town helping and hurting (when necessary), until only one question remains: Who’s behind Ed’s mission?

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Winner of the 2003 Children’s Book Council Book of the Year Award in Australia, I Am the Messenger is a cryptic journey filled with laughter, fists, and love.

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My thoughts: After reading The Book Thief, I was a little antsy to pick up another Markus Zusak novel. Not because it was bad, but because it was so amazing I was worried The Messenger would taint my opinion of Zusak. But this one was another great novel. It follows Ed Kennedy, the "messenger," an average underachieving 19-year-old who accidentally stops a bank robbery. What I really loved about Ed was how average he was. Ed was just a normal guy trying to get by unnoticed; he wasn't a hero, nor did he want to be, and it was nice to read about someone un-special who realizes his purpose.

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One thing I wasn't expecting from this novel was humor; The Book Thief was anything but humorous, but I laughed a lot while reading The Messenger. Ed's friends, particularly Marv and Ritchie, were downright hilarious. Zusak has a talent for switching from light to dark, and i found myself on a sort of roller coaster during the novel. The book had a perfect balance of deep, meaningful passages, along with laugh-out-loud moments, and even a few romantic parts that made me ache just as much as Ed. One of the great things about reading from a male POV can sometimes be seeing how the protagonist deals with their romantic relationships; Ed wasn't your typical 'I'm a man so I don't care about anything' guy characters. He ranged from dark and purposeful, to hesitant and totally in love. That being said, the romance was definitely not overwhelming. The abrupt ending did leave me a little unsatisfied, but only to the point of wishing there was more, not to the point where I was upset or unhappy with how it ended.

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The premise of the story is definitely interesting and out-there. Teenage guy finds a playing card in the mail with addresses on it from some unknown source. Said teenage boy then finds himself fulfilling the "messages" and realizing he isn't as useless as he thought he was. Definitely intriguing, if you ask me. And the way Zusak executed the entire plot was nothing short of extraordinary. It was gripping and easy to read, in a thought-provoking way. The action was real and gritty; his missions were powerful yet simple. Ed's transformation was certainly remarkable, but more than anything, the way everything is so connected made the book most interesting. Not once did the book drag or get boring; it was constantly pulling me back in, whether it be with humor or action or romance.

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Ed's friends were well-written, as were the other secondary characters. They were not only funny as heck, they were completely believable and honest. Ed's relationships felt genuine. As an eternal, hopeless romantic, I didn't expect to get much romance from this novel. And honestly, if there hadn't been any, I don't know that I would've missed it all that much. But despite that fact, I loved Ed and Audrey's relationship; it was sweet and realistic. I don't want to ruin anything, but it was a perfect addition to the already fantastic plot.

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Lastly, the writing is amazing. Zusak is one of my favorite authors, and with good reason. The way he writes is not only simplistic and easy to follow, it is deep and makes you think. Even though I wanted desperately to know what was happening next, I still took the time to reflect on the beauty of the passages. And the best part: they didn't feel out of place in the slightest amongst Ed's more hormonal or mundane thoughts. I genuinely felt Ed as a character, and felt his growth; his reflections on his "messages" and his life were insightful and meaningful. It was one of those books I wanted to quote every page. Zusak blends teenage angst and deeper meanings perfectly. I Am the Messenger is not a book you want to rush through, no matter how tempting it may be.

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Covering the Cover: At first I didn't like this cover; it's kind of strange and almost dull. But after reading the story, it fits so very perfectly, and is kind of eye-catching
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Overall Rating: 5 stars

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
550 pages, paperback
Published March 14, 2006
Summary: It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .
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Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

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This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

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My thoughts: Just to give you a quick idea of the impact this novel had on me: for about ten minutes after I finished the last page of the Book Thief the only coherent word I could say was wow. Zusak has written an amazing novel with beautiful writing and a delicate, painful story. It's always been difficult for me to read historical fiction on the Holocaust, because it was such a terrifying, heartbreaking, and infuriating time, but the Book Thief was all of those things, and so much more. It was deep and mesmerizing while managing to have the slightest uplifting tone that made the subject matter bearable. The morbid sense of humor of the narrator--Death itself--gave the book a flair that could have easily been absent. The part I found most amazing was the connections from start to finish. Zusak must have taken a hell of a lot of time going back and forth to create the story so delicately and in such a intricate way. While the Holocaust was without a doubt one of the darkest times in history, the Book Thief deals with the tragedies and losses with poise and refinement, while still revealing the gritty details and the gory descriptions.

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Liesel was an amazing character. She starts out as a girl wracked by grief and struck by the abandonment of her mother. She's also immediately close to her foster father, Hans, who loves cigarettes almost as much as he loves Liesel. What I really loved about Liesel was her persistence; no matter what happens, she gets up, brushes off, and moves on; and the way Zusak describes her, and nearly everything else in the novel, made her feel extremely real and tangible.

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My favorite character was without a doubt Max Vandenburg, the Jewish fist-fighter Hans hides in their basement. His struggles were painful and it was truly eye-opening to the horrible consequences that Hitler's influence caused. Max was strong throughout the novel, unbelievably grateful to the Hubermans, and extremely kind to Liesel. The best quality about him was his way of writing stories; my favorite parts of the novel were the short stories he writes and the imaginary battles he has with Hitler in the basement. He was just an amazing character, along with everyone else.

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That being said, I absolutely loved Hans, Rosa, and Rudy. Hans was the kind of father people dream of having; patient, kind, and brave. Even when he makes mistakes, he realizes them and tries his hardest to correct them. I loved his relationship with Liesel too; it made the book feel much more personal and convincing to see how their relationship blossomed under such harsh conditions. Rose was loving in her strange way, and on multiple ocassions she brought a smile to my face. Even when horrible things are happening to them, Rosa stayed the same; she was the one unchanging variable in a changing world. And Rudy. Oh, Rudy; from the very start I knew I would love Rudy just as much as Liesel. He was different, trusting, teasing, and caring for Liesel, and I just loved everything about his character and attitude.

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For the sake of not ruining the ending (even though the narrator kind of does from the start), I'll just say that I was brought to tears for nearly the last 200 pages. Yes, the book does start out slow, and I even put it down for a few days because the story seemed stagnant. But the beautifully written descriptions and morbid, yet light narration brought me back and kept me up late at night. The story was wonderful; heartbreaking and hopeful. It was amazing how much emotion Zusak crammed into only 550 pages. Everything about the Book Thief was lyrical and realistic. It was one of the greatest, most impressive books I've ever read. I can't say it enough; I loved the Book Thief from cover to cover. It truly was unforgettable.

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Cover: 5 stars

Characters: 5 stars

Plot: 5 stars

Writing: 5 stars

Overall: 5 stars