A review of The Messenger by Marcus Zusak

I was totally entranced by Marcus Zusak’s The Book Thief, a truly wonderful reading experience, from a very young writer. Then I discovered he had written another book nine years earlier, the multiple prize-winning The Messenger.

Initially, the book was a little disappointing. There is a lot of swearing, especially in the early pages. In some ways, the amount of swearing identified it as a young adult book. Then there was a reference to the lead character Ed Kennedy’s pathetic sex life.

Thankfully, I stuck with it. The characters were a little quirky, the storyline very original, there were moments of humour… Then the book just grabbed me, drew me in, and I started journeying with it. That is the Zusak magic.

He is very creative, and the creativity allows you to become part of the story.

Basically, the book is about a 19-year-old guy, Ed, and his friends: Ritchie, Marvin and Audrey. None of them are really doing much with their lives. Only Ed and Audrey have jobs, and that is taxi driving, more an in-between thing. Their main past-times are playing cards, drinking, sleeping late. That is what they are doing, actually, just passing time.

Then, they accidentally become part of a bank robbery, Ed manages to foil the robbery leading to the arrest of the robber.

Next, a card turns up in the mail, with a cryptic message: three unfamiliar addresses.

What follows are four suits of cards with 12 assignments, which Ed feels compelled to complete. Along the way, he learns a lot, about love, and responsibility, resilience, motivation, and truth.

In scrolling through reader responses to this book, it is clear that some people love it… and others detest it. Some, like me, find it moving and heart-warming, others find it clichéd and manipulative. However, the majority of readers on most of the polled websites loved it.

On the publisher’s website there are teacher’s notes written by Zusak himself. He explores some of the deeper issues of the book. The different suits indicate different responses from Ed: protect the diamonds, survive the clubs, dig deep through spades, and feel the hearts.

This is why I love the book: its depth, and its response to real issues, which clearly emanate from an author who is not only passionate about writing, but also engaged in education.

Like, The Book Thief, one of the key themes of this novel is the significance of stories, our life stories, and our power to impact on the writing of those stories. Yet, what is nice about this book is that there is an unseen author, directing the writing, sending along key messages and people across the path of Ed at just the right time.

Ed interacts with people in powerful ways, like the inspiration he gives to a teenage female athlete to run, or the simple way he brings some wonder into the lives of a very poor family. Sometimes those interactions cost him, physically as well as financially and emotionally.

What is especially nice is that one of the people he is assigned to help is a priest living sacrificially in a poor part of town. Ed manages to fill the church, with the promise of free beer! However, there is some beauty and reverence in aspects of the church service and the response of the priest, which brings respect for the church, and the unseen Giver/Author.

The book’s title wraps in with these spiritual nuances. In some ways Ed himself becomes an angel, a messenger of God, bringing hope and change and comfort and truth to the lives of others. He is by no means perfect, and there is still a lot of free will in how he responds to his assignments, but the delight he gets from helping others, changes him.