Ed Kennedy is just an extraordinary suburban cab driver who has an uneventful life of playing cards with his three best friends, and lives with the Doorman, a stinky dog, in a shack on the bad side of town. Not to mention he’s hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey. His life is suddenly changed when he stops an attempted bank robbery, becoming the town hero. Just a short while later, Ed receives his first card in the mail; the ace of diamonds. There are three addresses written, each one he’s required to deliver a message to—or else.

As he goes through on this adventure, he meets new people and sees life in other ways. Some of the messages are pleasant. For example, Ed gives happiness to an old, marvelous woman, and fills up a priest’s church with free beer and vandilization. Others aren’t so fun and easy. Ed also has to get rid of a drunk who comes home every night to brutalize his wife, as well as beat up a no good punk to pull his brother closer to him.

In 2002, Markus Zusak brought to life the characters of Ed, Marv, Ritchie, Audrey, and the Doorman (who all play a big roll), in I am the Messenger. In this spectacular book, Ed makes us realize what any person is capable of, but also makes us laugh while doing so. Ed looks at life in a different way one would not normally think about. He thinks in details, and moments. He realizes the way things and people are. It’s rather beautiful. Reading this book would not be a waste of your time at all; Zusak proves to be a wonderful writer, and created a beautiful work of art. I enjoyed this book very much, and I’ve read it multiple times. I have deemed it to be one of my favorites.

Throughout each spade and message, we start to love the self-absorbed (but wonderful) Ed Kennedy. In the end, Ed helps his lazier than lazy friend Ritchie realize that he doesn’t have to live the way he does, his friend Audrey that she actually loves Ed, and his friend Marv that he can chase after what’s his. Not only does Ed deliver these messages to the characters in the story, but I also believe he delivers one to us. He delivers the message to us that we are all capable of something, we can go out and do things and change others’ lives for the greater good. As he puts it- “Maybe everyone can live on beyond what they’re capable of.”