A review by texassizedreads
I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

0.25

I went into this book really wanting to love it. I read the Book Thief in high school and loved it so much, and I was hoping to like this book as well. I did not like it. At all. 

I listened to the audiobook, so the way the narrator read things might have made certain parts worse for me. But here's what I didn't like:
  • Ed's character was kind of annoying and constantly objectified women. Pretty much any woman he saw, he had to describe her in a sexual way, and oddly specified things about their hips and legs, which made me really uncomfortable. He even did this to a 15 year old (when he's in his 20s) at one point. I think the narrator made these parts more uncomfortable than if I had just physically read the book. 
  • Audrey's character was really flat. Honestly the only things I can say about her is that she was hurt when she was young (no details given there) and keeps people at arm's length as a result, and that she likes movies, playing cards. That's it.
    I'm really not sure why Ed is in love with her at all. She isn't given a personality so when they got together at the end (which also came out of nowhere and bothered me a lot) I really didn't care.
  • Honestly, the main characters in this book (Ed, Audrey, Marv, Richie) were either one-dimensional or unlikeable. The best characters in the book were the side characters like The Doorman, Father O'Reilly, and Bernie. 
  • The part where he's witnessing the man on Edgar Street rape his wife and says that the man doing it multiple times is "an achievement" (not sure if those were the exact words, but it was something similar) really rubbed me the wrong way.
  • I HATE THE ENDING.
    The guy behind all the cards in the mail KILLED ED'S FATHER AND ORDERED THE MAN ON EDGAR STREET TO RAPE HIS WIFE SO THAT HE COULD TEACH ED AND THE READERS A LIFE LESSON?
    . 
  • I could go on, but I'm tired and I don't feel like it's worth it. The point is, I really DO NOT recommend this book. 
I think the only things I liked about this book were some of the side characters and the sense of mystery for most of the book as we wondered who was sending the playing cards to Ed. I listened to the end hoping that the ending would somehow make up for the other stuff in the book, but it only made it worse. I'm so disappointed. 
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