Thursday, March 12, 2009

Save the message for your bumper sticker

I finished reading I am The Messenger by Markus Zusak. And I still thought it was a fantastic book, so my memory didn't fail me there. Great characters, story, pacing, and a stinky dog to love. Doesn't get any better than a stinky dog like The Doorman.

So every night I would crawl into bed (my reading place), looking forward to--no, savoring the pages of this book. I am The Messenger is that good.

Until the end. My memory (from reading it a few years ago) didn't fail me there either. The ending... Well, it sucked. Sorry, Mr. Zusak. But I felt like throwing the book across the room, like a three year-old with a tantrum.

Without giving too much away, I am The Messenger had one of those universal themes, the ones that make a book resonate down to your core. But then at the end, there was that "Let me tell you what lesson you're supposed to learn from this book." Ugh.

And double-ugh for yanking me out of the story by having the author make a cameo on the final pages.
Clever? Sure. Satisfying? Don't think I need to answer that one. This took author intrusion to a whole new level.

If I pulled this stunt in my pages, my critique group would have whacked me on the head with my manuscript. All five members at the same time. With force.

Still.
It's a good book. Read it. Just make sure no one is nearby as you read the final pages--someone might get hurt as you vent your frustration.

2 comments:

  1. At least he saves it for the end. I remember reading Starship Troopers and feeling like "Here's the message," "Here's the message," and in case you missed the other 26 times "Here's the message with big red arrows and flashing lights!"

    ReplyDelete

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