I Am the Messenger

DON’T MISS BRIDGE OF CLAY, MARKUS ZUSAK’S FIRST NOVEL SINCE THE BOOK THIEF AND AN UNFORGETTABLE AND SWEEPING FAMILY SAGA.
 

From the author of the extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller The Book Thief, I Am the Messenger is an acclaimed novel filled with laughter, fists, and love.
 


A MICHAEL L. PRINTZ HONOR BOOK
FIVE STARRED REVIEWS

Ed Kennedy is an underage cabdriver without much of a future. He's pathetic at playing cards, hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey, and utterly devoted to his coffee-drinking dog, the Doorman. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery.
 
That's when the first ace arrives in the mail. That's when Ed becomes the messenger. Chosen to care, he makes his way through town helping and hurting (when necessary) until only one question remains: Who's behind Ed's mission?

BUY THE BOOK

Published May 9, 2006

357 pages

Average rating: 8.05

74 RATINGS

|

These clubs recently read this book...

Books & Banter

We are a laid back group from all over the US who liked to read. So get comfy, grab a bite, pour a drink & let's chat books!

Books & Beans - St. Augustine

Welcome to our little St. Augustine book club: Books & Beans. We've been together two years now and have the best members. We are glad to have you!

Cocktails & Conversation

Come join us at a local wine bar, where you can sip, chat, and enjoy whether you've read some, all, or none of the book! Interesting convos guaranteed

Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *I Am the Messenger* captivates with its unique concept, imaginative storytelling, and meaningful messages that resonate with both charact...

Allison Nelson
Dec 10, 2025
10/10 stars
This was a great story! Loved the format, the story kept me in constant suspense, and the entire time I feel like there was a good message for the readers as well as the characters (who I mostly all fell in love with, just as the main character did). I'll never look at playing cards the same, though!
Josie the book goblin
Aug 22, 2025
10/10 stars
I cant begin to describe how wonderful Markus Zusak's writing is!
JulieChristmas
Nov 25, 2024
10/10 stars
Markus Zusak has an amazing imagination. I wish I could just crawl around his head sometime. I loved this book. I wish my college kid would read it - such a great story line about finding a purpose and about simple human kindness. It kinda made me wonder why I dont watch and observe more people - why I don't go out of my way to help others with simple acts of kindness. The main character, Ed, is so likable. And I loved the way he talked about the love of his love, Audrey. If all women were adored like Audrey - just once in our lives - the world would be a better place and there would be less cheating and divorce.
Reanae99
Apr 26, 2024
10/10 stars
There is a difference between living a life and going through the motions. Just enduring the day. I liked that Zusak made an entire book about that difference.

I also really liked the end. I realize the books do not really have anything in common, but this is how I wanted Sophie's World
by Jostein Gaarder to end.
Natalie
Apr 26, 2023
8/10 stars
Damn it.

I'm having a really, really hard time rating this one. I spent most of the book thinking, "This is definitely a 3 star for me. I don't know what all the hype is." I was so disappointed about this because I wanted to love this book.

And then. Oh! And then I reached right around page 300 and was just floored. So I am compromising with 4 stars.

I'm not going to rehash what the book is about - it's just not my style. I also don't have any crazy gushing to do, so it's going to have to be a brief LIKE vs DISLIKE review.

Disliked:

description

The way I kept waiting for something to happen. Something that would make this worth all the 5 star reviews and "AHHHHHHH SOOOO GOOOOOOD!!!!" ravings.

That I just could not get a good grasp on these characters. I'm not sure why. I am positive that a year from now - no, three months from now - I will not remember any of their names. It is not that I found them unlikable; I just more or less didn't give a crap about most of them. That bums me out!

The way it made me feel like a moron...even after all the goodness near the end of it. Like I was supposed to get more out of it that I did. Like maybe I'm just not deep enough to get it. Eh.

Liked:

The writing style. No, scratch that. I loved Markus Zusak's writing style. It is as if every line is so perfectly thought out. Not a breath is wasted. And while there are so many good lines to choose from, for some reason, my very favorite is:

I didn't know words could be so heavy.

I am pretty sure that this line will stay with me a long, long time. It will stay with me much longer than the characters.

The way the last 10% of the book hit me. I was a smiling, crying mess. I love when a book hits me that way.

Honestly, I found that the writing style was the house for me. It almost didn't matter what was inside the house, what it was filled with. This could have been a book about the procedure of making sausage links, and I still would have wanted to savor each line...each word. The story alone is not something that I am going to run and tell anyone about because I didn't find it that remarkable on its own. I'm going to give [b:The Book Thief|19063|The Book Thief|Markus Zusak|https:d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1352395325s/19063.jpg|878368] a shot because of this.







See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.