Bruiser

Bruiser was quite the peculiar read for me. Upon hearing the premise of this book, I was very intrigued. A boy who, quite literally, takes away the pain from the people he loves? Count me in!

Bruiser really had a lot of things going for it. First, there was the narrative style. This story isn't told from one perspective, or two, or three, but yes, you guessed it, four! And had I known this before I read it, I would've been doubtful. Four points of view? Seems a bit convoluted. But no. Neal Shusterman does a fantastic job of adopting a strong, authentic voice for each of the characters, especially for Bruiser and Tennyson. The first page is in Tennyson's point of view and to be honest, the moment I started reading it, I felt like I had a sense of who he was. A sarcastic, snarky, no BS kind of guy. As for Bruiser, his chapters were written in verse. Yes. And beautiful verse at that. So that should give you an indication as to how well these characters were presented. Overall, there really was nothing I could complain about in terms of the narrative style.

Onto something else I was completely captivated by: the premise. I found it completely mind boggling. To have an ability like that is... I don't even know. A good thing? A bad thing? There are so many interesting dicussions to be had about this book and its countless themes. It had this lasting profoundness that didn't feel contrived or preachy at all. It just was.

Last but not least: the characters. I absolutely loved them. They were likable but flawed. I rooted for them but also berated them. I came out of this book feeling like I knew these people, like we had shared some kind of strange friendship which in a way, we did.

To say the least: I loved Bruiser . A quick but definitely memorable read.

Bronte starts dating the school loser, Brewster the Bruiser. Big, monosyllabic, and raised by a hard-drinking uncle, Brewster has no friends but an incredible memory for poetry. Soon, first Bronte and then her twin Tennyson are caught up in Brewster's strange and dysfunctional family life.

The problem is, Brewster takes on the pain of anyone he cares about. And not just the pain--the actual injuries themselves, and any negative emotions. He's become a sort of living painkiller for his uncle and brother, who try to keep him with them at all times. Eventually Bronte and Tennyson manage to get him to live with them, but even this is not a perfect solution--because without even trying to, Brewster takes in their pain and injuries as well. His growing circle of friends is slowly killing him, even as the peace he brings makes them addicted to him and increasingly unstable when he's gone. A haunting take on what would ordinarily seem like a wonderful gift. Brewster's chapters are written in various poetry forms (Beat, stanzas, etc), which sometimes works better than other times.

Shusterman is great with taking a simple idea and running with it. This is a book about empathy at it heart. I was pleasantly surprised by the start of the book as even more engrossed once I came to understand the main character, Brewster (i.e. Brusier), and what his talent/curse is. Unfortunately, the book drags in the middle and even close to the end. I did particularly enjoy how Shusterman delivered the inner thoughts with Brewster either. It was meant, I presume, to be a mix of poetic thinking and stream of thought. It didn't work, for me at least.

Rating for the first half: 4-5 stars.
Rating after chapter 45: 2.5-3 stars.
Please read full review for why.

I want to take a moment to talk about this book, really get into all those nooks and cracks. This book at its core is about abuse. Well there is a fantastical element to Brewster this is just an aspect of the book not the focus in a lot of ways. Bruiser is about a kid and his brother being held emotionally and physically hostage by an abusive parent. Well the fantastical nature of his power does come into play it is used as a literal representation of what this kind of abuse feels like. There is so much about how the Uncle beats Brewster's brother in order to hurt him, that is a abusers go to in the handbook. The fact that Brewster takes the abuse physically upon his body is just a metaphor. In a way all of this book is a metaphor.

I ended up swept up in the fact that this was portraying domestic and child abuse in a way that children could understand, when the uncle hurts Brewster's brother or himself it hurts his abuse victim. This is a tactic I know very well, I survived this kind of abuse. We are often I wasn't the one who was harmed physically but my abuser hurt themselves in order to harm me. Or they would harm a pet, or someone close to me. Seeing it done in this book with the magical element added it feels awful. Awful. This is real abuse in a child's book. And it is portrayed exactly how it is. There is no moment where Brewster feels safe, his little brother feel safe in ways because his big brother is taking all the abuse for him.

I find Tennyson to be amazing, as a character he is a child, and he is written as a child. But he is written as a bratty little brother but also a brother who cares about his sibling. Tennyson never loses sight of his family, even when he has basic feelings or anger or greed he knows that he loves his family. And I really appreciate that he didn't lose that along the way.

The parallels between the families that are shown is amazing, Brewster has an uncle and no family and it's all bad, while Tennyson and Bronte both have a family that is falling apart but they still stay strong and it's still better than what Brewster has. Both have their own problems but in the face of each other's it feels small and not as bad. And yet it is bad for Brewster. It's bad for Cody.

This is honestly a 4 star book until chapter 46 onward.

Now for the flaws.

POV issues.
I don't really care about Bronte for a while, the book opens with this hard steering power that makes it feel like it's going to be a book all about Tennyson. It's only later than it switches to bronte's perspective and you realize oh this is a book about both of them. It doesn't even feel like initially we're going to see it from anyone's perspective besides Tennyson, that's how driven his chapters feel. Brewster and Bronte both have the problem of their chapters feel lackluster and not as strong, I have no issue with Brewster's chapters being in prose. But I do have problems with the strength of them. As soon as it switches back to Tennyson it is all him all the time and it is obvious that this book was written for his perspective only.

The parents.
I feel like the parents sort of just exist and needed more time. They take a forefront in the book near the end of it, but with just a couple of chapters left it feels like they're not there enough. In fact they're not there for most of 45 chapters, they're just perceived through the other kids. But we have some interesting tidbits on them and it would be nice if it was elaborated upon more. I think Bruiser is a great book, and we need more books to address abuse like this.

The auto defense behavior of the parents.
It is a spoiler warning but the parents of Tennyson and Bronte adopt Brewster for a short while. During this it goes from Brewster is a person to Brewster is a threat to their children namely the girl he's dating, Bronte. This completely changes the prior chapters given the family knew they were dating and had no issue with them being alone all the time. Bronte often went on walks with him, on dates with him, anything that could have happened at home would have happened while out. This pushes that stereotypical overprotective parents being weird for no reason other than "oh my gosh there's a boy and a girl living in the same house". It is horribly annoying to see that in this book. It is such outdated behavior I do not know why it is here.

The pacing.
Personally in many ways I think this book should have ended at chapter 44 or 45, I felt like those were the chapters where it was wrapping up and it didn't need to have that tail end added. If it had ended in the early 40s it might have stayed 5 star, continuing hurt it more than it helped.

As it pushes on we enter the territory of if you wanted enough you can hold on to it, which a lot of people complained about in the comments here but I understand, their uncle was angry so much that he held on to his anger. This sounds like a plot hole that he was still angry when Brewster should have took everything. But if you want to be angry hard enough you would hold on to it much like Cody holds on to his fear. But by introducing this concept to us it throws off the whole plot by just a little bit. Now the plot is a bit of a crooked photo. And I can never not see that it is crooked.

The character assassination post chapter 45.
For some reason both Tennyson and Bronte forget completely and utterly about Brewster's power. Like they continue on with introducing them to multiple people having him be around a lot of friends and all sorts of things. Things that are very dangerous knowing his power. But on top of that everyone in the household including those who know keep having their emotions taken away and not understanding why. Tennyson and Bronte both are in the know of what's going on, but it is utterly vanished from their mind this power that he has. So they start to be really weird and act out of character or extremely dangerously.

Brewster isn't even a focus after these chapters. He's existing in the background, sponging up everyone's problems. Tennyson gets absolutely character assassinated. He goes from a rational person who understands Brewster's power and cares about him to using him for the very last few chapters. No real reason besides he decides that he's going to use him to make everything bad feeling go away.

And that all leads into what made this a two-star book near the end. Brewsters symbolism and existence after being saved is he exists to take everyone's pain. A victim exists to absorb all of the pain around him until it kills him. That is absolutely disgusting. There is so much of this book that was saying that Brewster was more than his powers Brewster was more than all of the abuse Brewster was so much more. And we end basically with he exists to take the pain until he dies, the very thing that he escaped his uncle to reclaim his life over is what happens to him. This isn't a happy ending, and it happens mostly because Tennyson and Bronte decide to be utterly selfish. An extremely preventable fate.

And for what, what was the point of getting him out of an awful situation where he was going to die and putting him into another situation where he was going to die? The ending implies that he is not dead, but there's no proof that he isn't brain damaged or worse. This portrayal of an abuse victim existing only to take other people's pain and abuse really drove this book into a bad place.

Strange things happen when you get close to Brewster - and that's why he tries really hard not to let anyone get too close. Until he starts dating Bronte, and gets close to her entire family. Can he deal with what this closeness does to him?

Like so many Shusterman books, this one was first class. We have Brewster (Bruiser) who is anything but a bruiser. He has the supernatural ability to take pain from those he loves. You experience his pain with him as he learns to love others and suffers for it. It is absolutely heartbreaking. My daughter recommended this book to me more than a year ago. I should have listened to her.

Narrated by Nick Podehl, Kate Rudd, Luke Daniels, Laura Hamilton. Brewster is known as a loner and a bit of a weirdo at school. Bronte begins to date him much to her twin brother Tennyson’s dismay. When Tennyson inadvertently sees a mass of bruises on Brewster’s back, he thinks Brewster’s uncle is abusing him. But as Tennyson and Bronte come to realize, the bruises are the pain Brewster absorbs from people he cares about. A memorable book about the power of love, emotion and pain. The four narrators do a creditable job with the beauty of this book.

Wow. This was a great book. And nothing like I’ve read ever before. I saw the book on Librarian recommendation. I figured that meant it had to be pretty good. It was. First off, the idea of the story, the idea of what is joy without pain, was very powerful. And the way that it is addressed was brilliant in my opinion. You can’t help but cringe at what a curse Brewster has. The writing style was also great. To the point, but with enough there to that I never felt I was missing anything. All the characters grow in the course of the book which another thing I always like watching. Nothing is really answered. We never know why Brewster is the way he is, but I found I didn’t mind that much. That says something. I think some of this is my awe at the idea. Perhaps this awe will pass. But having just finished the book, I can say I really liked it. And I would highly recommend this book to anyone over age sixteen. I will definitely be reading more from Shusterman.

Neal Shusterman is just a master of the craft. He writes such engaging and interesting stories with likeable characters. Tennyson, Bronte,and Brewster will stay with me for a long time.

A boy who can secretly take away the pain of anyone he cares about and take it as his own. So what happens when someone starts to care about him? Not much more one can say about this book without giving away what makes this book fascinating and different. It's short but well worth the time. It will leave you thinking.

Hulking outsider Brewster Rawlins, a.k.a. Bruiser, is voted Most Likely to Receive the Death Penalty. Brontë, who gravitates toward hard-luck cases, is intrigued by him. Her brother, Tennyson, doesn’t want her dating outside her own species.

Neal Shusterman’s novel Bruiser examines both the debilitating and healing effects of being human.

Bruiser literally takes away people’s pain: his brother Cody falls from the roof, and Brewster ends up with a broken arm. His uncle suffers a stroke, and Brewster experiences the embolism. Brontë and Tennyson struggled through their parents’ fracturing relationship, and Brewster siphons away their grief.

Bruiser’s empathic ability is foremost a curse. He cannot allow himself to feel close to anyone or soon he will be draining off every cut, bruise and broken heart. And yet it’s almost a superpower that he wields to keep his younger brother safe from their uncle’s drunken rages.

The problem is that he cannot shut it off. He has learned to be wary for a good reason. But as Brontë draws him from his shell, he experiences the exhilaration of new friendship, which comes at a cost. In Shusterman’s world, pain is manifest everywhere, and that is part of living. We want to hide from our individual pain, but it seems that only by embracing it are we fully human.

Shusterman employs four unique narrative voices to tell the story: Tennyson’s sense of immediacy, Brontë’s reflections, Cody’s stream-of-conscience, and Brewster’s free verse. He creates complex characters who all must learn how to be present to life, with all its joys and challenges. No one is safe from harm, yet how we deal with it, how we make it part of who we are, is an important means of surviving and growing.

I had only just started this book when the library loan expired. In a rare moment of reading-laziness I didn’t renew it. Yet I kept thinking about the characters and wondering what was happening with them. I’m glad I went back to find out.

Amazing story, incredibly well written! Brewster Rawlins, better known to his peers as Bruiser, is a mis-understood kid at his high school. He keeps to himself and is deemed a weirdo by his classmates. His life will take a drastic turn once he starts dating Bronte and peoples pain's mysteriously get taken away. A must read!

Excellent read. Neal is at his best with this story about a battered teen who is battered for love. If he loves you, he's bruised for you. A simple premise, yet one that holds much depth of thought and feeling as you ponder the idea of what love can really mean to someone.

Neal Shusterman has written another wonderful novel. The ending was perfect and unexpected. The characters have a depth that is just amazing. The plot is unique and has an amazing moral to the story like many young adult novels do not possess. This is a novel that I could read again and again.

Interesting premise in that it is a boy who gets the hurts (broken bones, etc) of those that he likes rather than them getting them themselves. Not sure it is good for us, but still a OK read for those who can handle it.

Amazing story, incredibly well written! Brewster Rawlins, better known to his peers as Bruiser, is a mis-understood kid at his high school. He keeps to himself and is deemed a weirdo by his classmates. His life will take a drastic turn once he starts dating Bronte and peoples pain's mysteriously get taken away. A must read!

When Bronte starts dating Brewster, her twin brother Tennyson is concerned for her safety. He and most of the kids at school are convinced that "the Bruiser" is trouble. Bronte says that Brewster has been misunderstood, and as Tennyson slowly gets to know him, he realizes that Brewster is not the psychopath that the kids at school have labeled him to be. But there is something odd about him... how is it that when Bronte injures herself, she quickly gets over it and the injury is transfered to Brewster's body? And not just Bronte... when Brewster attends one of Tennyson's lacrosse games, Tennyson comes away unscathed, but Brewster is doubled over in pain. In the background is the slowly imploding marriage of Tennyson's and Bronte's parents, and the fact that when Brewster's around, things seem better somehow... at least, until it becomes apparent that Brewster is not only absorbing the physical injuries of those he cares for, but their mental anguish as well. A thought-provoking novel about the ethics of carrying another's pain.

The gripping story of a teenage boy with a cursed gift told from four POVs. Resads like a realistic YA novel despite the paranormal element. Unqiue, compelling, and moving story. One of the best 2010 YA novels I've read so far.

When twins Bronte and Tennyson discover Brewster's (the Bruiser) secret, they accept it and become entwined in his life and struggle with how to use him and his special healing ability. The narrative jumps between perspectives of characters with each character having his/her own voice. Brewster writes in poetry. Along the way all the characters learn and grow. Once again Shusterman has come up with a novel idea and executes it in a well-done, thought-provoking way.

What a story! Brewster (Bruiser) is a hulking loner who lives with his little brother Cody and their nasty, abusive Uncle Hoyt. Brewster was unofficially voted "Most Likely to Get the Death Penalty" at the end of 8th grade, and nothing much has changed in high school, at least until Bronte decides to date him. Her twin brother Tennyson is not thrilled by this, until he gets to know Bruiser better -- over the death and disposal of Cody's ancient pet bull. Bruiser has a special ability to take away the pain of anyone he cares about, but it means that he must accept and live with the pain and damage. When Cody broke his arm, he didn't suffer any of it -- Bruiser took it all, and ended up with the split bone and cast. The consequences of this have made Bruiser a lonely, isolated person, at least until Bronte falls for him. As she works to expand his social world, he knows that it will inevitably lead to much more pain for him... but is that worse than the pain of loneliness? How high a price is he willing to pay in agony to have friends? Choices and consequences in a story told by multiple voices. I never know quite what to expect when I open a new Shusterman novel, and this one kept me awake until I finished. Strong 7th grade readers and up.

Strange things happen when you get close to Brewster - and that's why he tries really hard not to let anyone get too close. Until he starts dating Bronte, and gets close to her entire family. Can he deal with what this closeness does to him?

This is the first time I have read anything by Neal Shusterman and I loved his writing style. Bruiser explores family relationships and the art of feelings who they affect and how that affection can alter relationships.

Mr. Shusterman has written another masterpiece. The family of twins Bronte and Tennyson is falling apart. Their parents are not speaking to them or each other but the twins have a good idea what is going on and are tiptoeing around the D word. Bronte befriends an odd boy named Brewster and nicknamed Bruiser because of the frequency of black eyes and bruises he comes to school with. Tennyson is suspicious of Brewster's home life and orders him to stay away from Bronte. Since they continue to be friends, Tennyson watches him from afar and is shocked by what he sees in the locker room one day. He follows Brewster home and sees he lives with a younger brother and mean looking uncle. He begins to see that things are not exactly as they seem.This is a book about the beauty and ugliness that are found in families and how bullying can come in all different forms.This book would make an impression on boys as well as girls and adults who have found amazing YA authors like Shusterman.

Bruiser is a loner, on the fringes of high school society. That is, until he meets Bronte. Bronte (whose parents are both professors of literature) finds him intriguing, believing that "still waters run deep." However, their relationship encounters several obstacles, one of which is her brother, Tennyson, an athlete and all-around tough guy who at first bullies Bruiser for dating his sister. However, their lives become interwoven, and we eventually meet Cody, Bruiser's little brother, and Uncle Hoyt, their alcoholic loser guardian. As Bruiser's secrets are revealed, Bronte and Tennyson reach out to save him...just as Bruiser does a bit of saving himself. I love everything about this book. The story is fascinating. I was hooked from the first chapter. The story is told through 4 points of view: Tennyson, Bronte, Bruiser, and Cody. Each narrator has his/her own voice, so much so that even if the narrator wasn't written (which it is), you'd be able to tell who's talking. I love the use of poetry to communicate Bruiser's narration. He's dealing with such deep issues that it just seems so appropriate for him. I agree with a previous reviewer, though, who said the narrators seem older than their years. They are extremely sophisticated for their ages (even Cody at 8 seems older). This book was literally amazing. I just finished it, and it's haunting in that I can't stop thinking about it. This book is a must-read for lovers of YA fiction. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

I've enjoyed other books by this author, Unwind being my favorite. I liked the ideas in this book, but I wanted them to be explored a little deeper, thought the ending was abrupt. I'd recommend it anyway if you're a Shusterman fan or if you like witty dialogue, a bit of the supernatural and a plot that moves.

This book is about a sixteen year old boy named Brewster Rawlins( aka Brusier). Bruiser has a very unique skill. He can take the pain from other people just by thinking about them. Tennyson, the twin brother of Bronte(Bruiser's girlfriend), thinks that she is a psycho because she is dating a pyscho, who is picked out to most likely going to jail.I really feel for this book because I kind of understand how he feels. Bruiser is just trying to be normal but he can't because of his condition. I really like this book because it's not only sad and breath-taking, it helps be to realize that this may happen in our wold. I recommened this book to people who will enjoy a sad story that would turn into a more happier one at the end.

I loved this book. Desperately and completely.It's told from the point of view of four characters: Tennyson (brother) and Bronte (sister) are twins, Brewster is an outcast at school that Bronte begins to date, and Cody is Brewster's little brother. I loved their voices. Tennyson can be funny. He had these one liners that had me laughing out loud. Though he is rather selfish and a bully. Cody's eight-years-old and his observations of the world were pretty humorous. My favorite was Brewster, also known as the Bruiser. His chapters were beautiful! I was moved to almost tears twice while reading his poetry. The first time was at the very end of his very first chapter. SO BEAUTIFUL. Though I loved all four characters, he is the one that I loved the most. I adore him! I can completely understand how Bronte fell in love. And look at those beautiful green eyes! (from the cover)I am one who doesn't like to know too much about a book before I read it. I totally judge books by their cover and skip the blurb inside. So I won't give too much away about Bruiser. I read some reviews that gave everything away and it made it so that surprises in the book weren't surprises. Which I find sad. Shusterman is a master storyteller. I love his books.

It's a little hard to rate this one. The middle of the book is certainly worth 5 stars, but the end was a definite one star. The concept behind the book is awesome... really grabs you. I loved the twist with Tennyson being almost addicted to him. That was something I didn't see coming. The ending just killed it for me though. Why did it have to be so cheesy? I realize the whole book had a strong fantasy element, but it didn't FEEL that way until the very end. Between the siblings hugging in the kitchen and the phone from the pool ringing, I swear I almost threw up. Disappointing.

I like Shusterman's writing. He's got a distinctive voice, writes clean for a younger and older audience, and addresses topics that matter. That said, the first 30 pages didn't grip me. It seemed to be just fine writing, but nothing electrifying. I put the book down but my daughter said it gets good, so I was happy I kept going. The story really hits quite a few unexpected turns with vivid characters which sometimes remind me of milder versions of Stephen King's characters (without the blood and guts). What an intriguing plot, it was. However, it never felt like an obsessive page-turner and that's the only reason why I gave it 4 stars. I wanted to see how it ended, but I happened to lose the book I probably would've left it unread. The last third, at times, felt a little worn out getting to the end that was very satisfying. Well, except for one tiny tidbit, the ringing "pool phone" was a bit corny, but otherwise I really enjoyed an ending as unique as book.

In Bruiser, Mr. Shusterman has again taken an intriguing concept and built a supernatural story that may leave you thinking long after the final page is turned. What happens when any pain, both physical and emotional, is taken away? While reading this book I kept thinking of the Bible phrase, "he taketh away the sins of the world." And then wondering - Is there a flip side, a dark side, to salvation? Brewster Rawlins aka Bruiser is described as a sasquatch, a hulking teenager of 16 years, with eyes that are an ugly pea green. Voted by his classmates as "Most Likely to Receive the Death Penalty." What no one knows, since Brewster keeps to himself, is that if he cares about you, he automatically takes away your injuries or pain as his own. The story is told from four points of view, Tennyson and Bronte who are twins, and Brewster and his brother Cody. Tennyson and Bronte live with parents on the verge of divorce, and Brewster and Cody live with their abusive Uncle Hoyt. Bruiser's point of view is told in free verse. The first chapter starts with Tennyson's point of view when Brewster asks Bronte out on a date to play miniature golf. Every book I've read by Shusterman has been a thought generating and gratifying read, and Bruiser is no exception.