I Am the Messenger Summary
Description
Here you will find a I Am the Messenger summary (Markus Zusak's book).
We begin with a summary of the entire book, and then you can read each individual chapter's summary by visiting the links on the "Chapters" section.
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Last Updated: Monday 1 Jan, 2024
Chapters I Am the Messenger Summary Overview
Living a mundane life as a 19-year-old taxi driver, Ed Kennedy, becomes an unsought hero after spontaneously apprehending a bumbling bank thief, catapulting him into local fame. After the death of his alcoholic father, he and his siblings move forward with their lives, with Ed sharing his abode with his faithful dog Doorman. Ed's life feels unfulfilled: his old flame Audrey keeps him at arm's length, his mother Bev dismisses him, and his future prospects are bleak. His only reprieve is playing a card game, Annoyance, with his three friends. Unexpectedly, Ed's life takes a turn when he starts receiving unmarked envelopes enclosing playing cards filled with cryptic messages. Intrigued, he decodes these puzzling hints and starts intervening in people's lives - stopping an abusive husband, impersonating the deceased husband of an elderly woman, inspiring a young athlete, and even revitalizing a priest's dwindling congregation. The mysterious aces' tasks become increasingly personal, challenging his perspectives on his family, friends, and his feelings for Audrey. He risks his friendships to catalyze change in their lives, confronting their shortcomings and helping them face their own truths. As he goes through these events, he encounters people who guide him, push him past his hesitations, and chastise his errors. He realizes these individuals too have received cards - they are all part of a network of messengers. He shuns the idea of being a saint, acknowledging his human limitations, but continues to effect good in his community. Just as he thinks he has completed his test, he receives a joker card with his address, sending him into isolation due to fear of the choices he might have to make. When the sender of the cards finally reveals himself, claiming to have orchestrated key events in Ed's life, it challenges Ed's perception of reality. However, in the end, Ed chooses to believe in the positive transformations he has brought about in his community and within himself, dismissing the sender's assertions as less real than his own experiences.
part 1
Four friends are in a bank when a robbery takes place. Ed and Marv, the main characters, are particularly concerned about their parked car. When the robber attempts to use Marv's car as an escape vehicle, he drops his gun. Ed, on impulse, picks up the gun and prevents the robber's escape. The media hails Ed as a hero, and he later receives a mysterious message. Ed Kennedy, our 19-year-old narrator, lives in poverty with his friends Audrey, Marv, and Ritchie. They frequently play a card game called Annoyance. Ed's father, an alcoholic who squandered the family's money, died six months before. Despite his humble circumstances, Ed dreams of a relationship with Audrey. After the bank incident, Ed receives an envelope with an ace of diamonds and three addresses written on it. None of his friends or his mother admit to sending it. In court, Ed testifies against the bank robber, who threatens him after being sentenced to six months in jail. Ed starts investigating the addresses given to him on the card. At the first address, Ed witnesses a man repeatedly assaulting his wife while their young daughter cries nearby. He encounters them later in a grocery store, increasing his urgency to help. However, he decides to visit the next address before taking action. At the second address, an old woman, Milla Johnson, lives alone. Convinced that Milla is lonely, Ed decides to visit her, pretending to be "Jimmy". As they bond over multiple visits, he realizes that he can ease her loneliness. At the third address, Ed meets Sophie, a shy 15-year-old girl who enjoys running. After watching her participate in a track meet with worn-out shoes, he leaves an empty shoe box at her house, inspiring her to run barefoot in her next race. This boosts Sophie's self-esteem and she thanks Ed for his help. Ed then decides to confront the abusive man from the first address. He enters the home, but can't bring himself to confront the man. He then receives a gun with a single bullet in his mailbox. After a sleepless night, he drugs the abuser and drives him to a cliff edge. He then threatens the man with the gun, making him confess and beg for mercy. At that moment, Ed feels a sense of peace and fires the gun.
part 2
Struggling with his decision to spare a rapist's life, Ed continues life by joining the Annual Sledge Game, a barefoot soccer match and spending time with his friend Doorman. Sophie, a fellow acquaintance, checks in on him, and he tells her he's waiting for his next assignment. Unexpectedly, two hitmen, Daryl and Keith, rough him up at his residence. They take the gun he used earlier and provide him with a new task. They infirm him that their employer is satisfied with his work, leaving an envelope on his unconscious body. The envelope contains an appreciative message for his previous tasks and a new task hinted at by the phrase "say a prayer at the stones of home". Ed seeks help from Audrey for the cryptic message, but she dismissively identifies him as someone of little importance. After this confrontation, Audrey becomes more supportive, encouraging Ed to find satisfaction in his good deeds. Ed then confesses his feelings for her, but she labels him as her best friend, leading him to despair. During his night shift, Ed picks up a sex worker, Alice, who treats him kindly. Ed continues to accept his role as a messenger, practicing for the Sledge Game with Marv. Marv discloses his story of a past girlfriend who left without explanation. Ed then does some fruitless research on the mysterious ace of clubs. Ed's day continues with him checking on a home, reading to Milla, and watching Sophie run. He chases a man who refuses to pay his fare and stumbles upon a boulder with three names etched on it: Thomas O’Reilly, Angie Carusso, and Gavin Rose. He then begins a search for the individuals. First, he finds Thomas, a priest living in the slums. Ed persuades his friends to attend a service at Father O’Reilly’s church, and they agree. He organizes a community event to fill up the church, which turns out to be successful. Later, he finds Angie Carusso, a single mother and provides her with emotional support. Finally, he confronts Gavin Rose, a local bully. He physically assaults Gavin, calling his brother for help afterward. In the end, when checking the stone with the names, he finds checkmarks next to Thomas O’Reilly and Angie Carusso's names, but not Gavin Rose's. He then gets beaten up by Gavin and his friends, returning home with severe injuries. He looks in the mirror, shocked to find his reflection resembling the face of clubs.
part 3
Marv buys Ed breakfast before the annual Sledge Game, where participants vie for yearly boasting rights. Ed takes Doorman, and enlists a boy named Jay to watch him. Ed tackles a hefty player named Mimi, then vomits and leaves, only to find Doorman missing. He and Audrey find Doorman with Jay, who has received a card from a young woman. Jay demands payment for the card and Doorman. The card is the ace of spades. The ace bears three names - Graham Greene, Morris West, and Sylvia Plath, all authors. Ed dreams of Plath's poem "Barren Woman". Audrey visits, and Ed kisses her impulsively, his wounds reopening. She reiterates that she doesn't want a physical relationship. Ed researches the authors, noting their books' titles. A mysterious note in his house tells him he's overthinking. He matches titles to street names and uses marked page numbers to identify house numbers. Ed stakes out an address found in Morris West's book, The Clowns of God. The address is an Italian restaurant, Melusso's. Over four days, he watches the restaurant, eating fries with Doorman. Audrey visits, expressing concern about their changing friendship. The taxi-fare runner tells him to be at Melusso's and to stop eating the fries. He hints that Ed isn't the only one receiving aces. Audrey overhears part of the conversation but falls asleep before Ed can explain everything. Ed reflects on the runner's words, realizing a grander scheme afoot. At the restaurant, he sees his mother, Bev, with a distinguished man, looking attractive and confident. It's the first time he sees her as a person, not just his mother. He confronts Bev at her home, questioning her about the man and why she dislikes him. Bev says Ed's failure to progress in life reminds her of her failed marriage. She admits to having an affair while his father was alive. Ed calls to check on Bev as a gesture of love. She scolds him as usual, signifying their normal relationship. Ed locates the Bell Street Theater, an address in Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar. He watches Casablanca, and the owner, Bernie Price, falls asleep. Bernie offers him a free film the next day. Ed screens Cool Hand Luke for Audrey and Milla. Ed reads Wuthering Heights to Milla and invites her for Christmas dinner. During the movie, Bernie joins them. A mystery person leaves a reel marked "Ed". The film documents Ed's recent trials, ending with the words, "Trying Times for Ed Kennedy. Well done, Ed. Time to move on." Ed feels desolation and confusion about the aces. He finds the ace of hearts on his seat.
part 4
Ed and Audrey leave a theater, spot a familiar man, and Ed is apprehensive about the final ace of the hearts message. He's unable to sleep and dreams about a road trip. The ace card carries the names of three films. As Christmas approaches, Ed distributes special cards to those he's helped and celebrates with friends. A father’s harsh conversation reminds him of his first Christmas without his own father. He later visits his father's grave, regretting not speaking up about his father’s positive traits. He hopes to be remembered better and realizes he needs to contribute to people's lives for that. On Christmas Day, Ed shares a meal with family and friends but remains uninterested in superficial conversations. He plans to improve himself before moving elsewhere and later accompanies Milla, who gifts him a suit. They get a cab driven by Audrey’s boyfriend, Simon, who reveals Audrey loves Ed, not him. Ed realizes the links between the films on the card and his friends. He fears the challenges ahead and begins with Ritchie. As he monitors Ritchie, he is joined by Daryl and Keith. Keith pushes Ed to stop hesitating and take action. Over time, he understands Ritchie's lonely life and confronts him about his inaction. Ritchie agrees and expresses the desire to want. Ritchie starts job hunting as Ed starts to decipher Marv's secret. He gets the idea to ask Marv for a loan. Drawing on his successful interventions, Ed asks Marv for money. Marv reveals his secret savings for a child he’s never met from a previous relationship. They agree to visit the child and her mother, Suzanne. The visit is initially hostile as Suzanne's father attacks Marv. Ed defends Marv and his attempt to take responsibility. Suzanne books Ed's taxi service and shares her regrets about surrendering to her father's control. Marv finally meets his daughter, and Ed appreciates his friend's emotional moment. Ed then surveils Audrey’s house for three nights, contemplating her relationship with Simon. He hopes she will acknowledge her feelings for him. Marv visits Ed, asking about the loan request, leading to Ed's confession about the aces. They wish each other luck. Ed spends a night outside Audrey’s house and when Simon leaves, he dances with Audrey in a park, expressing his feelings. Their dance ends, and he leaves, telling her he'll see her later. His relief at completing the messages is shattered when he receives a card with his own address.
part 5
Ed feels a sense of panic when he looks at the joker card. He thinks the joker is mocking him. For two days, nothing happens, until the third day when the card falls on the floor after he brakes hard to avoid a collision. A few weeks later, Audrey visits and Ed shares his suspicion that she's behind the mysterious happenings. She denies it. A man then arrives with a message instructing Ed to visit the cemetery on the anniversary of his father's death. Upon his arrival, Daryl and Keith are waiting for him, emphasizing that he should learn from his father’s mistakes. They deny knowledge of who's orchestrating the events. Shortly after, Ed picks up a passenger who asks to be driven to Ed's own address. To his surprise, it's the bank robber from earlier in the story. The man brings Ed to all the addresses where he had delivered messages. He then holds up a mirror, urging Ed to confront his reflection and acknowledge that he's no longer a "dead man." Arriving home, Ed meets a young man claiming responsibility for all the aces, his job, his father's death, and more. The man possesses detailed notes about Ed's life. Ed is taken aback when he realizes the stranger is a writer who has been documenting his story. He's angry at the thought of someone else owning his narrative. For days, he refuses to leave his house. Eventually, Audrey visits Ed and decides to stay permanently. Ed shares the encounter with the writer and desperately searches for her love confession within the documentation. She assures him it’s not there, as it's a moment solely between them. This leads Ed to understand that he isn't the messenger, but the message itself.
