As much as I loved
The Book Thief with its message of compassion, I just couldn't connect with the characters in
I Am The Messenger. The protagonist, Ed Kennedy, is a horny nineteen-year old cab driver who has been 'chosen' by some mysterious . . . what? benefactor? I don't know. But he keeps getting these cryptic notes in the mail written on playing cards that compel him to intervene in other peoples' misfortunes and crises. So he reluctantly participates and sees that even he, a self proclaimed nobody, can be a force for good. Cool. Okay. I like that. It is certainly a noble pursuit we could all practice a little more often. The thing is, though, when it comes to books with a 'message' I think a little bit of subtlety is a good thing, too. About a third of the way through, I just couldn't handle the heavy-handedness of the be-kind-to-your-neighbor story. And what's with all the fantasizing about all the sex our poor protagonist isn't getting? It's a little out of place here. *yawn*. Enough already. We get it. Ed is a frustrated young guy. We don't need to be hit over the head with his sexual daydreams again and again. Subtlety, dear author. Subtlety.
Perhaps it's that
I Am The Messenger is classified as Young Adult and I'm just too old and curmudgeonly to appreciate it.
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