Ed Kennedy, nineteen years old, is making
his own way in the world; he just hasn’t got very far yet.
He’s got a job of sorts – as an under-age
taxi driver - and a home in the shape of a shack he shares with the Doorman – a
dog that’s old, smelly, and with a liking for coffee. When he’s not working,
which is quite often, he hangs out with three friends – Marv, Ritchie and
Audrey – and mainly plays cards.
Then his life of quiet monotony starts to get
weird. First he helps foil a bungled bank robbery, getting his name in the
local paper. Then an envelope arrives through his letter box, containing a
playing card (the ace of diamonds) on which is written three addresses each
with a time of day.
They mean nothing to him, but as a cab
driver he knows where they are and, intrigued, he stakes them out around the
specified times. It is clear (chillingly clear in one case) that at each a resident
needs some help; and it is clear that someone has chosen him to do the helping.
Ed does what he can, and feels quiet
satisfaction of a job well done, until another ace (clubs) arrives inscribed
with a cryptic clue. This leads to three more folk needing help, and with two
more suits available the labours of Hercules begin to look like a doddle.
From the simple concept Zusak crafts an engaging
book. As well as dealing with the cards’ demands he has his own life to sort
out; his love for Audrey is unrequited and his relationship with his mother dysfunctional.
Only the Doorman understands him, and he only talks with his big brown eyes.
Like the author’s “Book Thief”, though aimed
at (or suitable for) young adults, this is a book for all ages. The prose is
simple but subtle, the issues straightforward but challenging, and the
resolution of the aces’ demands while always likely are often less than
obvious.
Uncertain to the end is the identity of the
dealer.
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