Messenger 93

Dreams can seem so authentic that, upon awakening, discerning reality can, at times, be very unsettling. The introductory pages of this YA novel tap into this nebulous state by describing a teen’s ensuing confusion as she awakens from a powerful dream featuring a black crow. The bird delivers a cryptic message along with a calling card of a black feather on the bedroom floor and launches the troubling question of whether its words are to be heeded or simply regarded a dream.

“You are Messenger 93.” A voice in the dark.

My amazement reeled and multiplied. Goosebumps and breathlessness.

“You must find her.”

Its pointed little beak didn’t move, didn’t snap open and shut or have superimposed lips like in those CG-phony movies. But I was certain it was the crow speaking.

“She will fall in seven days.”

It didn’t sound male. It didn’t sound female.

“As she falls, so do we all.”

My mind didn’t search to understand. I didn’t try to talk back.

“Only you can save her.” The crow flapped its wings one time – I could feel a whoosh of warm air again my cheek. It said, “Save her, save us all.” And then it folded itself inside its feathers and sank into the darkness like a corpse on water. “She will fall in seven days,” says the crow. “As she falls, so do we all.” …

The paralysis ended instantly. I sat up and took stock: I was awake; there had been a crow in my room; it had spoken to me…

Had I imaged the crow? Dreamed it?

It hadn’t felt like a fantasy or a dream.
You are Messenger 93.

Why had the crow called me that? Why not my actual name? Which was as plain and simple as me. As thin and white and unremarkable. As hunched into itself as a question mark.

You must find her.

Find who?

She will fall in seven days.

Seven days? The exactness, the precision of the number, was like a sword in a rock.

As she falls, so do we all.

Fall rang in my ears like a bell. Its terrible meaning rippled through me.

Only you can save her. Save her, save us all.

That was hilarious. I was sixteen. What power did I have to save anyone?

Besides, there was no one I cared about enough to save. In fact, as a general rule, I hated all people. Except my family, I guess. And none of them needed my help.

The book’s female protagonist is never referred to by her real name – simply M – short for Messenger 93, the name given in the dream. During elementary and middle school, M enjoyed the security of a close group of friends, but, by high school, she finds herself socially outcast, courtesy of the bullying personality of newcomer Krista. M tries to survive this painful ongoing ridicule by living in the shadows and by dressing and behaving in ways that draw as little attention to herself as possible at home or school. She also copes with her feelings of powerlessness and isolation by vicariously sketching storyboards which feature her graphic alter ego of Infinity Girl vs antagonist Double Cross. Readers may empathize with M as she shares her first person perspective of feeling invisible, unknown, and unimportant. This situation is definitely relatable to those longing for a sense of belonging and social acknowledgment from their peer group - or sometimes even within their own family.

As a result of her disturbing dream, M can’t help but be hyper-aware of further signs that she should heed the crow’s warnings. Additional substantiation of the prophecy is presented through comments from other characters, a bird tattoo, a drawing in a locker, and further clues and dream messages which emphasize the seven days countdown. But are these just coincidences or actual messages which M must follow?

Both the reader and M remain unsure. The story is packed with numerous twists and turns in the action, and, while some are intriguing and page-turning, other plot and character developments verge on the unbelievable, detracting from a story which otherwise slots into the realistic fiction genre. This is rather perplexing, considering that author Barbara Radecki teaches a Continuing Studies course on story structure for the University of Toronto. Perhaps the most obvious of these discrepancies is when M discovers, the day after her dream, that her nemesis Krista has disappeared and that everyone is searching for her. Despite M’s intense dislike of the girl, she concludes that Krista is the “she might fall” person referred to in her dream and is determined to find her. Given M’s timid persona to this point, the bold steps she takes to make sense of the messages delivered by the crow and apply them to uncovering Krista’s location are unexpected. She visits Krista’s mother and secretly swaps her phone with Krista’s in order to access her social media and search for insights. It is unclear what has compelled M to be able to shrug off her fears and take these bold steps. Is it because M believes that solving Krista’s disappearance and “rescuing” her will result in her re-acceptance into her group? A rather convoluted trail of clues and secondary characters -including a social media influencer - serve to further muddy the storyline to the point where the reader can easily lose patience with the plot and stop reading.

In any case, M’s initial character development and her “Joan of Arc” acceptance of the crow’s omens don’t quite ring true. The idea that M would suddenly decide to spend most of her savings to purchase the necessary clothing and food to go off grid and track down Krista’s whereabouts is a pretty drastic decision. With one teen already missing, you would expect M to at least reconsider her actions through the lens of the anguish Krista’s mother is currently experiencing. But it is not until M sees her own image on a computer screen at the police station that she even begins to process that her own family might be alarmed by her decision not to return home. And yet, M still resolves not to share key evidence with the police detective investigating Krista’s case, despite being mugged in a nearby alley as she follows yet another crow “message”.

At this point, the novel shifts focus to include a new character – a young Cree teen named Gray (aka Gordon) who is also searching for a missing indigenous young woman named Jocelyn. As M joins Gray in his hunt, the plot widens to explore the theme of white privilege and prejudice, suggests potential reasons for both girls’ disappearances, the reactions of friends and family, and sketches out the contrast between the level of focus offered by authorities when looking for a missing white girl as opposed to a missing indigenous girl. The author, who is not indigenous, has included an acknowledgment that the story elements around Jocelyn’s disappearance are presented with consultation and permissions from the native community. Ironically, this aspect of the novel presents a compelling storyline and the most powerful images. The setting switches from urban to wilderness as indigenous friends and family search for the missing young woman, and the ongoing plight of missing, murdered Indigenous women is emphasized. Systemic racism in Canada is presented in accessible terms through this section of the novel. And, even if not communicated through an authentic voice, these are indeed hard questions which need to be considered, adding value to the storyline.

The plot line eventually circles back to M’s returning home and taking part in a social media party, with a portrayal of the whole celebrity culture scene. The white privilege contrast is reemphasized as M eventually confronts Krista who has orchestrated her disappearance simply as an attention-seeking event. The Messenger 93 premonitions delivered by the crow may have effectively fueled the initial story action but prove rather confusing and inconsequential as they are revisited in this unsatisfying conclusion.

Barbara Radecki, who now resides in Toronto, began her career as a film and television actor and a screenwriter before becoming a writer. As an interesting sidenote, she voiced the role of Sailor Neptune in the English dubbed version of this popular Sailor Moon anime series. Her debut novel, The Darkhouse (2016) led to a nomination for the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize. Messenger 93 was a CBC Book pick, and it was nominated to the Kid Committee List for the Ontario Library Association’s Red Maple book promotion, but it did not make the final 2020 list.

Haunting, suspenseful, confusing, and ultimately unsettling, Messenger 93 addresses many current issues. At times, these different themes threaten to overwhelm the clarity of the storyline, but, despite this, it should draw the interest of individual teen readers who will identify with one or more of the resonating aspects of its multi-layered presentation. Its exploration into the lack of focus on the missing and murdered Indigenous women, however, powerfully presents a strong reminder of the continued systemic racism that is present in Canada today. This novel could be considered as a potential read for secondary-aged students.

Note: The story contains a description of an attempted sexual assault by a trucker who forces himself on the protagonist – which might present a potential trigger for some readers.