Messenger (The Giver #3) by Lois Lowry

★★★½

*** Warning: This review contains spoilers!! ***

It's been a while since I read the first couple books, but I remember being thrown off by the supernaturalism in The Giver, because it wasn't evident at first, and I don't even remember any supernaturalism in Gathering Blue. The fantastical aspects of this world are clear early on in Messenger, with Forest actively attacking people and Matty discovering his paranormal ability. 

The story of Village presents a heartwarming, meaningful message. Village thrived on selflessness - everyone welcoming newcomers and caring for one another - and it suffered when Trademaster introduced selfishness into their community. 

Reading the book in 2022, there's an apparent parallel with contemporary issues of immigration and borders. Village is an example of how communities can benefit from diversity and compassion. Published in 2004, the book seemed to foreshadow Trump's obsession with building a wall.

I really enjoyed Matty's character, and was happy to read more about him since I liked him so much in Gathering Blue. I think the presumed post-apocalyptic world with disparate communities was intriguing, and I loved the beauty of the ending. Unfortunately, I just found myself too distracted by all the many unanswered questions. 

For example, who exactly is Trademaster? Where did he come from, and what is his story? Why does he make all these deals that are detrimental to the people making them? What does he get out of them? Is he supposed to be the Devil, making deals with people so that their truest selves are sacrificed for some temporary, worldly gain? 

At the end of the book, we learn that Forest is "an illusion...a tangled knot of fears and deceits and dark struggles for power" (p. 168), but why did it suddenly turn so evil? Was Forest somehow connected to Trademaster? And did Matty's powers work on Trademaster, too? Because if not, why wouldn't Trademaster simply resume his trading, causing the same trouble all over again, and with no Matty there to save them next time?

I tried to do the math, and Jonas, now called Leader, must be in his early 20s. I understand that he's got this special gift, but it still seems remarkable that Village would elect him as Leader at such a young age. And who was the leader before Jonas arrived? Jonas arrived with Gabriel, but we learn nothing more about him, getting only one passing mention of a boy named Gabe, who we can just assume must be Gabriel. (p. 17) Jonas tells Matty that his old community was "rebuilding themselves into something better" (p. 29), but how!? How did the Giver manage all the changes, and what became of the Committee of Elders? Later on, we see that Kira's village was also changed, but again the story of how is missing. What happened with Jamison and the Council of Guardians?

Interestingly, I found an editing error in my edition. In chapter 17, the book says that "Ramon had described poor Stocktender, who had been entangled by Forest". (p. 149) But back in chapter 2, it says Stocktender had died earlier, had not been entangled, and it was Gatherer who had been entangled to death by Forest. (p. 14)