“My full name’s Ed Kennedy. I’m nineteen. I’m an underage cab driver. I’m typical of many of the young men you see in this suburban outpost of the city -- not a whole lot of prospects or possibility. That aside, I read more books than I should, and I’m decidedly crap at sex and doing my taxes. Nice to meet you.”I read Der Joker (most of you know it better as I Am the Messenger or The Messenger) for the first time when I was 12. But I never finished it. Back then I wasn't an avid reader like I'm now—I only read a few books a year. But after reading the Twilight series (yes, I don't care what you think), I got more interested in reading and Der Joker was one of the books that followed those books. Anyways, back when I read Der Joker for the first time, I was having a really tough time. I'm not good when it comes to talking about myself and my personal experiences but I'm especially bad when it comes to talking about my feelings. I'm going to try to be as open as possible in this review but I'll probably fail and only scratch the surface. But I'm going to try.Back when I read Der Joker for the first time, I felt like a failure. School wasn't going that great (not because I was stupid, I was just lazy), some other stuff was going on (that I don't feel comfortable going into on here) and I had to deal with a lot of changes (not the biggest fan of change, by the way) happening because of everything combined. Besides feeling utterly miserable and like a failure, a loser, I also felt kind of lonely. I didn't feel alone—I always had people around me who I could talk to and who I cared about and who cared about me. But I never felt at ease talking about everything that was going on because whenever I tried, I could see that some people just couldn't understand. How can someone really know what it's like to feel like a loser, feel the disappointment of people around you or even feel what it's like to know how happy it makes some people to see you fail, when for them everything is OK and they still live in their perfect, little bubble where the world is still alright? Well, after a few tries I stopped trying to open up to people about how I feel and just kept all that stuff to myself. And it made me go crazy. I felt lonely because I had no one to talk to and I never felt that lonely before. It depressed me because I felt like the only one. The only one who feels miserable about so many little things combined, while there is so much more awful stuff going on in the world. It really didn't help matters that I compared my problems to other people's problems, it only made me feel more depressed and pathetic that I'm even that upset about it all.I don't know why exactly I picked up Der Joker. It probably was just that I always saw it whenever I browsed the Young Adult section of my bookstore and after passing it more than one time, I read the blurb again and decided that I might as well buy the book and see if it's good.I didn't see it coming but my 12-year-old self went fangirl crazy over Der Joker. I fell in love with the main character, Ed Kennedy, and I cheered him on. I never felt so passionate about a book before (not even about the Twilight books) but the feeling was consuming, in the best way possible. It was crazy how much I started to care for Ed. I always worried that something would happen to him and I just didn't want him to get hurt. I couldn't stand Audrey because duh, she hurt him and he deserved someone better than that and 12-year-old-fangirl me thought the best thing would be if he jumped straight out of the pages and fell in love with me instead. (I was a little crazy, if you can tell.) If there was a chance to gush about Der Joker, I did. If there was space on my notebooks or exercise books, I used it to scribble "Ed Kennedy" (or my name with my last name changed to Kennedy because of reasons) on it and doodle little hearts around the name. The love I felt for this book and its main character made me go a little batshit crazy. But in a good way.Because while I read about Ed's life and what was happening to him, I forget for the time being about what was happening to my life. It was my little escape, my pause, from the shit I had to deal with. But the most important thing: while I spent my time between these pages, reading about Ed and what he has to go through, I didn't feel lonely anymore. Because for the first time ever, there was someone who was failing as much at life as I was, who felt just as much like a failure, like a loser as I did. The realization that I'm not alone in this—it helped. It motivated me and helped me to stay optimistic, even though at that time, it felt like there was nothing to stay optimistic about. But this book made me feel that way. This book made me jump around in excitement because I loved it so much, it made me feel less lonely, less like a loser and like someone understood what it's like to feel that way, which was the most important thing of all. I don't know how I can explain any of this so that it makes sense but it helped. It helped me through it all.And because I loved this book so much, I never finished it. I stopped reading at a certain point in the story where I just knew that from there on, it wasn't that far from everything being resolved for Ed. But the real reason is that I knew that things would get better for him from that point on. And I didn't want that to happen. I didn't want it to happen for selfish reasons. I loved Ed (he was pretty much my hero) and I thought that seeing how everything turns out to be alright for him would break me. Because I knew that wasn't going to be the case for me. I knew that it might get better for me at some point but I knew that it wasn't going to happen now. I knew that I had to deal with more crap first and staying optimistic wasn't something I was good at back then, which is why I only saw the now and the now for me back then was crap. And while I read about Ed feeling just like me, I felt better because I didn't feel lonely anymore that way. And I knew that reading about Ed finding his way would make me feel miserable (just as much as having to say goodbye to him), which is why I stopped reading the book at the point where I knew it was going to get better for him. It's not like I didn't wish him a happy end, I just wasn't in the right state of mind to read about it.Enter me, a few years later. I'm not that 12-year-old kid anymore but I'm still passionate about Der Joker. Some people think I'm crazy when I tell them that I never finished this book (I never tell them the real reason why, though) and some even try to spoil the ending for me. Asshats like that exist but it makes it easier to know who my friends are and who are not (might sound a little exaggerated but it's true). So anyway, my love for this book never died down. And it felt like now, where I have to deal with another set of changes (but mostly good ones this time), would be the right time to reread this book and also finish it this time.I have to admit, I felt a little lukewarm at the beginning. I wasn't going batshit fangirl crazy, even though I was pretty sure I would. But it wasn't the story's fault. It was the translation. Now that I rarely read German books anymore, let alone translations of English books, I couldn't help but keep translating the German words into English. It didn't help matters that I kept wishing I was reading the English version (some sentences just felt choppy but mostly because of the translation) but I had to read this in German. Because of nostalgic (and even a little masochistic) reasons, you know.But after a while, I forgot all about it and it really didn't matter anymore. I still wasn't going all fangirl crazy about this book but I slowly started to remember how this book made me feel and how it helped me through a hard time. I started to remember why I loved Ed and all the other little things of the story so much. Because looking back isn't hard now. I mean, remembering how I felt back then makes me cringe because I just don't want to have to feel that way again. But rereading this book made me feel happy and grateful. It made me happy and grateful that my 12-year-old self had this book that made her feel less lonely, less like a loser and made her feel optimistic that it might get better. I fell in love with this book and its main character all over again but in a different way. This time, I fell in love because I'm grateful. Grateful for everything this story gave me when I needed it.I still see myself in Ed. And rereading this book, especially finally getting to know the outcome for Ed, made me want to change. Made me want to become a better person. The message of Der Joker (some say it's preachy but to me it isn't) is still ringing in my ears after I've finished this book only a few hours ago. If you want to know the message, you'll have to read this book and find it out for yourself because it might be a different one for you than it was for me.I can't explain what this book is about because it's more than just about the bank robbery that it opens with (one of the most awesome opening scenes in any book I've read, by the way) and the cards that Ed receives after that. It's such a personal book to me because of how it helped me through a hard time, which is why it will always mean the world to me. Ed is—and always will be—my hero because of the message he delivered to me, just like he delivered messages to all the other people in the book, when I needed it the most. I hope many other readers will get to know Ed and read about the messages he delivers, especially the final one. I hope he has a message for you, too.
My full name’s Ed Kennedy. I’m nineteen. I’m an underage cabdriver. I’m typical of many of the young men you see in this suburban outpost of the city – not a whole lot of prospects or possibility. That aside, I read more books than I should, and I’m decidedly crap at sex and doing my taxes. Nice to meet you.After accidentally preventing a bank robber from escaping, Ed Kennedy receives his first playing card with three addresses written on it. He understands that he needs to deliver a message to each of these places, but the card offers no further instructions. Relying on his intuition alone, Ed starts touching people’s lives and trying to understand what he has to do. The messages vary from simple to horribly complex and painful, but they all have one thing in common: they need Ed to shake them up and save them from themselves. I think the most wonderful thing about Zusak is the surprising humanity of his characters. Not only do they come alive for the reader, but they also take so many different roles in the process. Their simple acts of kindness often end up being impressive and life-changing. I’d noticed this about so many characters in The Book Thief and I feared it was a one-time deal, but Ed might be the best of them all. In complete contrast to the ending, Ed is one of the most real and tangible characters I’ve ever stumbled upon. The fact that he’s completely unaware of how extraordinary he is just adds to his charm. My only regret is that the same cannot be said about Audrey. I really needed her to be just as well developed, but she was the only one who didn’t feel real to me, and that’s the sole reason for my 4-star rating. I Am the Messenger will make you happy in at least three ways: it will give you a truly authentic, approachable story that will go straight through your heart, it will make you examine the way you treat complete strangers and it will catch you completely off guard.I wish I could hold up that knife and tear open the world. I’d slice it open and climb through to the next one. In bed, I cling to that thought.I suppose many people will not be comfortable with the ending. I thought it was unexpected, brilliant (like the man himself), mind-blowing (still picking up the pieces) and audacious. It didn’t take anything from the story, it didn’t diminish the importance of any of the characters, and it added an extra dose of memorability the book wouldn’t necessarily have otherwise. Choosing a favorite quote this time was just like choosing a favorite child, but there was one I needed to share:What would you do if you were me? Tell me. Please tell me! But you’re far from this. Your fingers turn the strangeness of these pages that somehow connect my life to yours. Your eyes are safe. The story is just another few hundred pages of your mind. For me, it’s here. It’s now. I have to go through with this, considering the cost at every turn. Nothing will ever be the same.For this and more of our reviews, visit The Nocturnal LibraryThanks to the lovely Jasprit for reading this with me.
What do You think about I Am The Messenger (2006)?
Having read the rest of Markus Zusak's catalogue, I was excited about this - a tale about card-playing, taxi-driving, lovable-loser Ed who's ordinary lives is tipped sideways and weird sh!t goes down when he starts recieving cryptic playing-cards in his letterbox with instructions to carry out. Ed suddenly finds himself as The Messenger under the mercy of a mysterious stranger whose intentions he does not know.I knew I would love it. I just never expected to be having a love-hate-relationship-Bad-Romance with it! Here's what I love:- The premise: Ed recieves four messages in the form of 4 Ace cards and has to carry out the instructions on each one.- The layout: The novel is seprated into 4 sections and each consist of 13 chapters - the cards 1 to 10 plus Jack, Queen and King.- The first chapter: best opening chapter ever. I couldn't stop thinking how clever, how funny and what a way to open!- The ending: never fear that the above appears too rigid - there is a fabulous twist at the end. The last few sentences lingered with me and still do. I see a lot of hysterical people are giving this novel 1 star based on the fact that they DON'T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND THE ENDING. The "guy at the end" is not just a random stranger. The guy with the short brown hair and slightly-under medium height carrying what appears to be notes for a NOVEL in a folder. Think hard about who this person might be.- The writing: Markus Zusak prose is always so highly readable, while being beautiful and poetic in a rough urban way at the same time. He makes it seem so easy the way he balances the two. And that line is so fine that sometimes you think his writing is going to tip into the territory of being bad, but it never does. His humour is also so cheeky, so quirky. I love it when he makes sh!t happen just cos he can.The problem I have with this novel is that Markus Zusak cannot write adult woman. He writes young girls and mothers beautifully, but every single adult woman in this novel is either a victim - or in Lady Gaga's words - hooker, prostitute or wench - and then we have Audrey. Audrey the personality-free love-interest with her "I don't love you, but I want you as a frienddd and I don't want to loooose youuu" who irriated me to no end. It seems like every woman needs to be saved and isn't capable of saving herself. Which is a real shame because Zusak is capable of writing these small and intensely burning and very beautiful romantic scenes. The scene with Audrey and Ed near the end. That was so perfect I'm willing to forgive Zusak for everything. Almost.Other than that personal gripe of mine... The Messenger is an excellent novel, full of big big heart and the profound nature of the philosophy of life and human nature. It's like.... a Pulp Fiction version of Sophie's World.I love love love it with all my heart. I may give other books 4 or 5 stars cos they are beautifully written with worthy themes and profound examinations, but I know I will forget these. Whereas this rough gem with all it's imperfections (and I love imperfections) will lodge inside of me because it is so different and imaginative. In that regard it IS perfect.But I'm still hedging my bets and holding onto the one star and refusing to give it up, just like Ed and a card game, only cos unlike other books, I am rating this against Zusak's talent because he is the most talented writer in all this land :)
—Shirley Marr
Sometimes people are beautiful.Not in looks.Not in what they say.Just in what they are.The Book Thief is one of my favorite books ever (if not my favorite book ever), then how is it possible that I loved I Am the Messenger even more?This book is just... beautiful, from start to finish. I'm not really good at putting my thoughts into words so I know that nothing I could ever say will bring this book justice (but that still won't stop me from trying).First of all, it took me a long time to read this book, but it wasn't the books fault. I had to study for a test to get into college (I got accepted, YAY!), so my reading had to suffer from it. But even that didn't stop me from enjoying this book completely. I think if I had the time I would finish it in one sitting.At the beginning, I thought that I was reading just an ordinary book, with ordinary characters and their ordinary lives. But now, that I've finished it, I can say that this book is anything but ordinary. It made me laugh, it made me tear up, it made me angry, and at the ending it left me feeling emotionally drained, but also really happy (if that makes any sense). It really touched me, and made me think about things that I (and a lot of us) just take for granted. I can't count the times when I've read a quote from this book that made me stop reading and just think about it for a few seconds.And the ending is the reason that I ended up liking this book even more than the The Book Thief. I'm not gonna say anything about the ending, except that it blew my mind and that I still get goosebumps thinking about it.So I think that's enough from me, cause I feel like if I continue I'll start getting emotional, and I wouldn't want that. So in conclusion, amazing book that will stick with me for the rest of my life, and that I will definitely come back to more than once.
—Mario
What I was going to further say is I hate swearing. A few times I was going to stop reading because of all the swearing. After I have gotten further into the book, though, there isn't quite as much as at the beginning, at least where I'm at.
—Hillary
