Publisher's synopsis
“The Messenger is comedic, romantic, thrilling, confronting, playful, deceptive… While it shares qualities with Nick Hornby’s How to Be Good and Iain Softley’s film K-Pax, it is cleverer, subtler and more profound than either and, as a bonus, determinedly Australian.” (Australian Book Review)
Meet Ed Kennedy – cab driving prodigy, pathetic card player and useless at sex. He lives in a suburban shack, shares coffee with his dog, the Doorman, and he’s in nervous love with Audrey. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence – until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery.
That’s when the first Ace turns up.
That’s when Ed becomes the messenger.
Chosen to care, he makes his way through town, helping and hurting (where necessary) until only one question remains. Who’s behind Ed’s mission?
The Messenger, by the highly acclaimed author Markus Zusak, is a cryptic journey filled with laughter, fists and love.
Markus Zusak is the international bestselling author of six novels, including The Book Thief and Bridge of Clay. His work is translated into more than forty languages, and has spent more than a decade on the New York Times bestseller list, establishing Zusak as one of the most successful authors to come out of Australia.
All of Zusak’s books – including earlier titles, The Underdog, Fighting Ruben Wolfe, When Dogs Cry (also titled Getting the Girl), The Messenger (or I am the Messenger) – have been awarded numerous honours around the world, ranging from literary prizes to readers choice awards to prizes voted on by booksellers.
In 2013, The Book Thief was made into a major motion picture, and in 2018 was voted one of America’s all-time favourite books, achieving 14th position on the PBS Great American Read. Also in 2018, Bridge of Clay was selected as a best book of the year in publications ranging from Entertainment Weekly to the Wall Street Journal.
Markus Zusak grew up in Sydney, Australia, and still lives there with his wife and two children.
Photo by Hugh Stewart, courtesy of Pan Macmillan Australia
