Summary: It started with the bank robbery. And then Ed got the first card in the mail. Three addresses. Three messages. And that was only the beginning.
Okay, that was a little cheesy. This book is about this guy named Ed, who, after helping to stop a bank robbery, receives a card in the mail, with three addresses on it. As I said above, each address contains a message that he must first figure out and then deliver.
This book actually took me a surprisingly long time to read. That mostly had to do with the fact that I had a lot going on. On that note, I have to say that I really liked this book. The writing style is absolutely amazing, the narrative is absolutely hilarious, and the story itself is very heartwarming, and at times heartbreaking. I loved it. I would definitely recommend it.
One of the things I loved about the book was the writing. Markus Zusak has this way of writing that makes the story seem very lyrical, and poetic; it was beautiful to read. It was already an amazing story, but the writing made it seem even more beautiful.
I also loved the narrative. Ed is a very very funny character, with an almost dry sense of humor; from the very beginning, he is being a “smart arse,” as he says. The book starts with:
“The gunman is useless.
I know it.
He knows it.
The whole bank knows it.
Even my best mate, Marvin, knows it, and he’s more useless than the gunman” (1).
That’s kind of his sense of humor. It’s amusing to read, and even funnier when he’s in messed up situations, like the bank robbery, but still keeps up with his persona of “smart arse.” It was one of the things where, after reading parts of the sample, made me want to buy the book.
There really wasn’t anything I hated about the book, or that bothered me. The characters were warm, and real, and absolutely hilarious; my favorite is a three way tie between Richie, Marv, and Father “Tommy.” Not one of the characters is two-dimensional, and every single one of them has problems that make them perfect. Even Ed has issues that he needs to work out, and it’s really interesting to see how he develops as a character throughout the novel. The only thing that urked me had nothing to do with the book, and everything the do with me not having enough time in the day to read it. I wanted to stay up absorbing Zusak’s words and Ed’s thoughts, but my eyes got too heavy at night, or there was something that needed to be done.
Overall, I definitely recommend this book to anyone who will listen. It’s an amazing, heart-wrenching novel, that everyone should read at least once in their lifetime. I do have a warning, and that is that there is violence, alcohol use, swearing, some confusing weather patterns for anyone used to America (like heat in December and cold in July), and there may be tears and laughter. Definitely pick it up at the bookstore, or as an eBook (however you read your books; I’m not going to judge, just read it).
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