The resolution felt too convenient and relied too much on a magical solution. I didn’t understand the symbolism of the Forrest (if there even is any) and why the resolution had to do with the Forrest and not the selfish people making these trades. Then the book shifts its focus to the Forrest which is where I got confused.

Why DO I trade my sleep for a pointless TV show? The book doesn’t really answer that, it just brings up these questions for me to ponder.

But when the trade is displayed with the price upfront in such blunt terms, it made me really think why I do that sometimes. Seems absurd except for the fact that we all do it. There are people in the novel who trade something of worth, like their health, for something superficial, like games. The trading in the marketplace brought up some really interesting ideas. I liked the idea of the Village full of people who had come from bad governments so they all agreed that there would be no secrets since that was the source of the corruption from the places they came from. I really liked the first part of Messenger. The end didn’t seem to have much to do with the rest of the book. It was abrupt, strange, and extremely open-ended (Lois Lowry seems to like those). I felt that way mostly because of the end. Or that I missed something important while reading it. Messenger is one of those books that I feel like went over my head. Spoiler free even if you haven’t read the first books in this series. Now he must risk everything to make one last journey through the treacherous forest with his only weapon, a power he unexpectedly discovers within himself. Matty has been invaluable as a messenger. Village once welcomed newcomers, but something sinister has seeped into Village and the people have voted to close it to outsiders. Matty has lived in Village and flourished under the guidance of Seer, a blind man known for his special sight.

The messenger lois lowry