I Am the Messenger

[Kim Deister]

I Am the Messenger I am the Messenger is one of the more bizarre books I have ever read. It is one of those books that caused me to question myself continually about why I was reading it, yet, at the same time, I couldn't put it down. Even now, having finished it, I am not sure how I feel about it. But it sticks with me, so that is a five-mug read in my opinion!Ed Kennedy is a rather ambitiousless young guy, a cabdriver with no real future ahead of him. He is hopelessly in love with Audrey, something that she seems to not know. He is completely devoted to her and to his dog, Doorman. Doorman is a character in and of himself. He's addicted to coffee, old, smelly, and basically the canine equivalent of Ed himself. The product of routine and stagnation inthat routine.
 
But then one day, things change for Ed when he inadvertently foils a bank robbery. He receives a card in the mail with mysterious instructions and this is how he becomes the messenger. And what is the messenger? Part guardian angel, part avenging angel. He follows the instructions on the cards given to him, not knowing who is behind them. For the first time in his life, he has purpose.
 
I enjoyed that theme and that is probably what kept me reading. But the rational part of me kept questioning... who would blindly follow such odd instructions? Especially when sometimes they are less helpful, and more violent. But I love the bluntness of the character, the unabashed portrayal of a person who, for most of his life, is just there. Nothing special. All of the characters were like that... blunt. Their edges weren't smoothed for the sake of likeability. They were who they were and they reminded me of people I knew. They were real. And that is what kept me reading!
 
My Recommendation
 
It is a strange book and I think that is what I loved most about it. I found it to be refreshing and I appreciated the brutal honesty of the characters.