I Am the Messenger is an absolutely captivating, thought provoking, and brilliantly written reading experience by Markus Zusak. Introducing Ed Kennedy, an underage, underachieving, and utterly average cab driver whose entire life consists of playing cards, being hopelessly in love with his best friend, and driving irritable passengers around in a ramshackle car. At least until the first ace appears at his doorstep, and Ed embarks on a beautiful, profound, and heart wrenching journey where he is pushed far beyond his limits and discovers a newfound purpose in life.

The Messenger demonstrates how ordinary people can produce extraordinary change around and within them through even the smallest acts of bravery and kindness. The story perfectly exhibits Zusak’s mastery of words, storytelling, and writing style.

I enjoyed this book a lot, though there was a flaw that prevented it from getting a perfect rating from me. I expected the ending to be just as poignant as the rest of the story, explaining who designed the elaborate narrative and how they were able to anticipate Ed’s every move so exactly. Instead it felt rushed and obscure, and I walked away with even more questions. This might have easily been on purpose, but it was a pretty disappointing conclusion for such an amazing story.

While I wish the ending was written a little better, not everything is perfect and the book was super fun in the end, so I definitely recommend reading it anyway.