Bruiser Paperback – October 4, 2011

Such an interesting concept. I picked this one up because I really enjoyed the Scythe trilogy, and I am now even more impressed with Neal Shusterman’s creativity.I almost didn’t finish the book, because the beginning led me to believe this would just be another high school drama. I’m so glad I kept going, though–I’ve never read anything like this before. It’s a story of a supernatural micropower, and that is the one point at which the reader must suspend his disbelief.Tennyson (named for the poet) is upset and angry that his twin sister Bronte (named for the writers) is dating a ne’er do well outcast, Brewster, nicknamed “the Bruiser”–ironic, because he’s never actually hurt anybody. Tenny is the one with the reputation of a bully. Brew looks the part of a bully, though, and because he’s also a brooding loner, the class voted him “most likely to end up on death row” behind his back.But he’s a loner for good reason. Brewster was born with a gift that’s more like a curse: he takes on the pain of those he cares about, both physical and emotional. His isolation is really protection, because once he cares for someone, he has little choice in the matter, nor do they–or so we’re led to believe at first. I kept thinking that Brew was like a reimagining of Jesus, taking all our sickness and pain on the cross–except that Brewster does it all the time, and he doesn’t have any sort of supernatural capacity himself. He’s just this poor kid, doomed to break under the weight of the world while everyone around him gets off scot-free. Once those around him learn what he can do for them, they become selfish, manipulative monsters. He never seems to resent anyone for it, but he also has no concept of boundaries, no idea how to protect himself. Only once does he manage to refuse someone else’s pain, because it would result in his death in his abusive uncle’s place. But he’s riddled with guilt about it afterwards.I was wondering how such a book could possibly end. But without spoilers, I’ll say the key does in fact lie in boundaries. We are (biblically speaking) to carry one another’s burdens, BUT each is also to carry his own load (two different words in the Greek, Galatians 6:2-5). This isn’t a Christian book by any means, but it illustrates the biblical concept well. Brew cannot protect himself, so it’s up to Bronte and Tennyson to learn how to carry their own loads, rather than allowing Brew to be the human receptacle for all their junk. But they’re only motivated to do this once Brew’s life is on the line. It’s such a fascinating glimpse into human nature.My rating: ****1/2Sexual content: noneLanguage: some I think, but it didn’t register so not a lotPolitical content: noneViolence: there’s some child abuse, but it doesn’t go into a lot of detail

Well, Neal Shusterman has done it again. No matter what this guy writes, he does a darn good job at it.In BRUISER, there are four different points of view. Sometimes this is hard to handle in a book when you're switching back and forth, but each character stayed themselves for at least a few chapters, so the switches felt completely seamless. The first two characters are Tennyson and Bronte, twin brother and sister (high-schoolers) whose parents have a couple issues they're dealing with. This affects the home life, which comes into play later on. The next two characters are Brewster (Bruiser--also in high school), and his little brother, Cody. (Neal wrote a bit about the different points of view and shared it on Goodreads. ***Warning... if you're like me and detest spoilers... don't check it out until you're halfway through the book.)Since I try not to know too much about a book going into it, I was taken aback by the actual premise of BRUISER. For some reason I had in my head that this was going to be a "bully book". But oh, man. So different. Brewster stays away from everyone all the time, but the reason behind that choice is not what you think at all. In fact, as you begin to read you're convinced his uncle is a flat-out jerk and think you've got the problem solved and want to scream IT'S SO SIMPLE JUST DO THIS BREW!!!! but the further you get into the book, the more you realize so much is intertwined that the detangling would take a while... it's just like life... answers come in every shade of if and or but, maybe, and everything in between.Tennyson and Bronte have an awesome relationship. They're close, as they've been together their entire lives, but at the same time, each has their own quirks. As the family dynamic changes, they stick together, which shows their strong bond. Tennyson loves to push Bronte's buttons; he plays lacrosse. Bronte is a smart cookie who wants to solve problems. (Brewster isn't an easy problem to solve.)And Brewster and Cody... well... Brewster proves his love for Cody (without even trying) over and over and over again.You know you've got a good book in your hands when lines throughout the ebook have been highlighted by readers numerous times. Take this one, by Tennyson, for instance:You think you want to know the secrets of the universe. You think you want to see the way things fit altogether. You believe in your heart of hearts that enlightenment will save the world and set you free.Maybe it will.But the path to enlightenment is rarely a pleasant one.Or this one, which I personally loved, by Bronte:... Happiness is a vector. It's a movement. Like my own momentum across the pool, joy can only be defined by the speed at which you're moving away from the pain.Certainly our family could reach a place of absolute, unchangeable bliss at Brew's expense; but the moment we arrived, the moment we stopped moving, joy would become as stagnant and hopeless as perpetual despair.I'll be honest--I loved every single one of the characters. The quotes I chose make it seem like a very depressing book (sorry), but it's really not. I laughed out loud many times.Brewster, however, holds a special place in my heart. Maybe it's the fact that he's the only one Neal wrote in verse novel form. Maybe it's because he sacrifices himself for everyone he cares about. I don't know. But I'll leave you with a short quote by Brewster (talking about his brother, Cody, and himself).He nods and begins to cry,But it only lasts an instant,Because before a single tear falls,His sorrow becomes mine,A heaviness in my heart,A sting in my eyes.This is Brewster and the premise of the book, in a nutshell.

I thought that the subject was very intersting and although not original, it was made original by the way it was written. The characters were all awesome and there weren't too many boring parts!! Overall not a bad book.....

I thought this was going to be a book that I would buy then forgot all a boy it, but no!Really good. Not best book I've read in ages, but best book I've read this month.

EINDRUCK--------------Starke Geschichte, die zum Nachdenken zwingt, warum es wichtig ist, auch Schmerz empfinden zu können.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------INHALT--------------Branson "Bruiser" Morgan ist fünfzehn und der unheimliche Junge.Seine Klassenkameraden haben ihn zum "Most Likely to Receive the Death Sentence" nominiert.Obwohl er wie ein Footballer aussieht, ist er ein Außenseiter.Niemand weiß etwas über ihn, außer dass er ständig unerklärliche blaue Flecken und gebrochene Knochen hat.Der beliebte Tennysons ist daher alles andere als begeistert, als seine Zwillingsschwester Brontë beginnt, mit Bruiser auszugehen.Er beschließt, Bruiser zu beobachten und herauszufinden, was wirklich mit ihm los ist.Bald wird ihm klar, welche Bürde Bruiser trägt."I don't choose it, I don't want it"-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------STIL--------------Mir hat der Einsatz der vier verschiedenen Erzählperspektiven gefallen.Die Charaktere sind abwechslungsreich und stark ausgearbeitet. Sie verraten immer tiefere Einblicke, in das eigentliche Geschehen.Tennyson ist der Hauptcharakter, impulsiv, klug, witzig, geht keiner Schlägerei aus dem Weg.Im Gegensatz zu ihm steht seine Schwester Brontë. Sie ist kontrolliert und hilfsbereit.Die Handlungsweise von Cody, Bruisers jüngeren Bruder, ist realistisch und entspricht glaubhaft der eines Kindes, aber es fiel mir schwer ihn zu mögen.Bruisers Passagen heben sich von den anderen ab und sind in Versform geschrieben, eindringlich und schmerzvoll.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------FAZIT--------------4,5 Sterne, da ich mir gewünscht hätte, dass die Liebesbeziehung zwischen Bruiser und Brontë etwas mehr Tiefe hätte.Schön ist auch der Anhang mit Interview sowie ersten Notizen & Entwürfen des Autors.

Great read

To use Tennyson's words: "Wow"This was quite an unexpected and original storyline, that really caused me to sit back and think.Written in first person, from multiple narrators' point of view, the book tells the story about a boy named Brewster. He has the ability to make the hurts of those he cares about his own, making their lives painfree and his almost unbearable. Logically, he has learned (or has been taught) to care for as less people as possible. That changes though, when he finds love and friendship, but both of them are coming with a heavy price and dilemma's for both sides. Because, once you realize your friend can take your pain away to suffer it for you, would you use them, or would you protect them from themselves?All characters had a uniqueness and their own voice, with great dialogues - the one negative thing I could say is that they come over as older as their age. The writing was very good, though, and I had a hard time putting the book down.This is supposedly a young adult novel, but if you would be and adult, reading it won't leave you disappointed either.