“If a guy like you can stand up and do what you did, then maybe everyone can. Maybe everyone can live beyond what they’re capable of.”

What’s standing between ordinary and living beyond it? Throughout I am the Messenger, Ed comes to realize that there is nothing standing in his way of living beyond what he’s capable of.

I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak is an uplifting and inspiring novel. Ed Kennedy is just about as ordinary as ordinary gets. He drives a taxi, plays cards, enjoys drinking coffee with his smelly dog, The Doorman, and is hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey. Ed’s life is one of simple routine until he stops a bank robbery. That’s when Ed’s life takes an unpredicted turn. He receives an ace in the mail. On the back of the card are three addresses and times. The person who is secretly behind all of this, chooses Ed to intervene in the lives of the people at each address.  

At 19, Ed finds himself at a point in his life where he’s still finding his way. Before the cards, Ed was struggling to discover his purpose. He was stuck. Never moving in any direction. When he receives the first playing card, Ed is chosen to touch the lives of the people at each address. He is pushed out of his routine of simplicity and comfort. Ed who is a complete nobody makes a difference. Acts as small as buying a woman an ice cream or just being there to listen to a friend in need makes the world of a difference in someone’s life. This aspect of the book makes it so inspiring. Seeing someone as average as Ed make an immense difference in so many lives pushes all readers to do the same. Ed sets the example for us all.

What makes this book such a strong read are the intricate relationships developed between each of the main characters. For instance, Ed and his mother. Ed’s mother resents him because he reminds her of Ed’s father who was a complete failure. She looks down on Ed with the same disappointment she saw in her husband. Even though she knows that he is the only one who is always there for her she pushes Ed away. Ed’s mother wants him to move on from this town and turn his life into something. While Ed’s life is ordinary, it’s relationships like these that make this book so complex.

Oftentimes, while growing up we feel that much of our life is out of our own control. Sometimes we find ourselves in a position where we feel like there’s nothing we can do to change the things that hurt us and the people we care about most. Through Ed, Zusak teaches us that even when you have very little there are still an unlimited number of ways for you to make a change big or small to the world around you.

One of the essential themes encompassed within I am the Messenger is the importance of human connection. It’s so important, especially in today’s world with technology, to reach out. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our phones that we don’t acknowledge the presence of others. Instead we stare at our screens effortlessly when we could be establishing genuine connections. Before Ed receives the cards he’s not really there. His three closest friends face inner conflicts that Ed isn’t even aware of. Because Ed is chosen to make a difference at each address he becomes more aware. More aware of his own personal conflicts and more aware of what faces each of the people that he cares about most. This novel illuminates the importance of being there to listen, reach out, and live in the moment with others.

I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak is a beautiful and influential piece of writing. I would recommend this book to all readers. Everyone needs to hear the messages sprinkled throughout this novel. I am the Messenger would be an excellent read for anyone who is in need of a change of perspective.