The Messenger

The story starts off with Ed Kennedy, a 19 year-old cab driver who is widely known as a “loser” or no one special. He is disrespected by many but his love interest Audrey makes life seem all worth it. Audrey, however, doesn't believe in love despite having many boyfriends and not having the best reputation when it comes to her promiscuous relationships with men. Audrey always tells Ed that she doesn't want to be with him because she likes him too much and won't risk losing their friendship. It all seems a little like life is going nowhere for Ed until one day he is in the midst of a horribly organized bank robbery and saves the lives of others when he points the gun at the robber. Shortly after, he receives a series of addresses and times written on playing cards and feels like someone has assigned him a sort of mission. After a short while of uncertainty, Ed follows through and decides to visit these addresses and to his horror, he is witnessing various moments and degrees of injustice. He feels compelled to act, but how? And more importantly, Ed is wondering why him? In a slightly predictable ending, Ed comes to “find” himself through these assignments, along with finding out the mastermind behind it all. It ends with a happy romance, as Ed and Audrey end up getting together. Although some parts of the end were predictable and satisfying, another part left me feeling slightly baffled. For the most part, Zusak provides us with a unique tale of the journey from an unlikely loser hero to someone who transforms into themselves and becomes a better person as a result of his journey.