I Am the Messenger

"The Messenger" is a 2003 novel by Markus Zusak, and winner of the 2003 Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award."The Messenger" was released in America under the name "I Am The Messenger". The entire story is written through the eyes of the main character, Ed Kennedy, while as he tells the reader his story and adds his own commentary as the story progresses.

Plot

The story begins with an introduction to the character of Ed Kennedy, a down-and-out underage taxi driver. Ed is standing in a bank queue when a robbery takes place. He accidentaly foils the robbers escape, and is proclaimed a hero. Shortly after this he receives an ace in the mail. This ace is from an unknown source. On the ace is written a list of addresses and times. These represent a series of tasks that Ed must complete.

His tasks are as follows:

# He must save a woman who is raped by her husband every night.
# He must comfort a lonely old lady.
# He must show a teenage girl how to take control of her life and be more confident.

Throughout the book, Ed receives different cards in the mail. Each card is a different ace, and each ace contains a series of tasks, often in the form of cryptic clues. Through these cards Ed not only helps people, he also helps himself.

The Messenger raises many questions relating to the path that the lives of people like Ed and his friends will take, but still remains very humorous and distinctively Australian. Zusak's characters in this novel are incredibly easy to relate to and he very accurately describes life in suburban Australia. Ed's relationship with his mother is also indicative of many family situations in middle class families in Australia and modern Western societyFact|date=September 2008. The reader can also relate strongly to Ed's feeling of lack of direction or hope of making something of his life. The novel is blissfully without the shallow, stereotypical supporting characters of other novels of similar theme, and every individual in the novel is developed with depth and intrigue. Along with the striking descriptions with which Zusak depicts "The Messenger", he manages to also take a step back and give an intelligent, subjective view of reality.

Themes

Inner growth: through the tasks that Ed must complete, he grows within himself. His character develops as the novel progresses, as he moves away from his old life and habits. Through helping others, Ed becomes "a better person".

He kisses the girl with no shoes and has an realationship with her