The Messenger

Markus Zusak

Picador

March 2009 $19.99

396p pb

ISBN: 978-0330424738

fp October 2002

Picador

July 2006 $32.95

396p pb

ISBN: 978-0330422635

Ed Kennedy is pretty useless – he has a deadbeat job as a part-time taxi driver, is hopelessly in love with Audrey, a fellow taxi driver, spends his spare time playing cards with his buddies, and does nothing without his 17 year old dog, The Doorman.  His life changes one day when he accidentally stops a bank robbery, and soon finds his first message in the mail – the Ace of Diamonds with three addresses.  After he works out what message to send the three people, he gets another card, and so on until he finally completes his objective. 

The story is definitely one of compassion and sympathy – each of the messages is close to heart, and in typical Zusak style, heavily descriptive.  Not only does Ed have to deliver the messages, he must find himself, delving into his own family past and problems, and finding acceptance from his mother.

This novel has a unique layout – the story is divided into five parts: Diamonds, Clubs, Spades, Hearts and The Joker.  Each part is chaptered from Ace to King.

Josh, age 16, Canberra, Australia

Ed Kennedy is the epitome of normality. He is an incompetent taxi driver, lives with his seventeen year old dog, and is in nervous love with Audrey, a fellow taxi driver. He often plays cards with his three closest friends: beautiful Audrey, money-hoarding Marv, and easy-going Ritchie. Nothing sets Ed apart from the millions of other people like him.

That’s until one fateful day when he foils a bank robbery and returns home to find an unusual message in his mail box. Amongst the junk advertisements and energy bills, Ed finds an Ace of Diamonds. Three addresses with different times are scribbled on the card. Is it a threat, a calling card, or an invitation? Ed doesn’t know. He ignores it until curiosity and an unfounded sense of guilt get the better of him and he goes to the first address, 45 Edgar Street, at midnight. That’s when everything changes for Ed, and he finds out that he is not so normal after all …   

Targeted at teenagers, The Messenger contains romance, crime, mental breakdowns and typical teenage humour. The storyline is sound and realistic but becomes slightly tenuous towards the end. The book’s strongest point is the author’s ability to convey to the reader the main character’s state of mind. The Messenger’s plot is such that the ending needs to be logical and plausible, but in the end turned out being slightly confusing. Despite this, the story was witty, relevant to its target audience and emotionally charged.

Joss, age 13, Canberra, Australia