I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

I have NEVER loved nor hated a book so much in my life!


Description:


Ed Kennedy is a good-for-nothing, waste-of-space type of person. He spend his time driving for a taxis company and play cards with his friends. He isn't much until he single handledly stops a bank robber. He is painted a hero in the local newspapers. After the fifteen minuets of fame wears away he receives a playing card with addresses scrawled on them. All he knows is that he feels he must visit the addresses. The people who live at these addresses need some help. So Ed helps them. As he works his way through the people he becomes tied too a job, not one with a monetary pay, he is the messenger.


My Review:


This book has hit me unlike any other book I have ever read. Its gripping and raw, impossible to put down. Ed is a rustic and real character, one that could really exist. He is an everyday hero. NO he's not supernatural or filled with paranormal powers but the boys got POWER!! The author really nails the setting, its believable creates the world that Ed exists in beautifully.


Ed faces each new card with unbelievable bravery, I know I couldn't summon that kind of power to do what he does. With every card Ed learns more than one ever thought possible. Ed has days when he fears his new-found calling and days when it brings him inexplicable joy, but with every card he helps somebody. He is learning to be, not just breath but live. He finds some direction in his lost world.


One thing that bothers Ed is that he can't figure out if the person sending the cards is good or bad...


Somebody is playing a cruel game with Ed and as he travels through the cards he struggles to figure out just who is sending him on this wild goose chase.


Explanation of why I love/hate this book:
love-
*Ed is a hero
*The message is strong and powerful about the inner power of what men (and women) can really do and what limits they can break through.
*You question who is messing with Ed till the end


Hate-
* Now don't get me wrong but I don't like the language in this book. Far too much cursing for my likes but it goes with the setting and the characters so I guess the author felt that it was necessary.


Seriously this book is so powerful it should be read.


just sayin,
-Kare