“We’ll keep our pain, but I promise we’ll share our joy.” (Neal Shusterman, Bruiser)

This quote was an important lesson learned in the book Bruiser by Neal Shusterman. It

represents the idea of not spreading pain to others but instead spread joy.

Summary:

The book, Bruiser, written by Neal Shusterman is a paranormal fiction novel. It deals with the perspective of different characters and how they see the situation they are in. Brontë and Tennyson, named after the Brontë sisters since their parents are literature teachers, are two of the characters that the book focuses on the most. They are fraternal twin siblings whose parents are going through a hard time with their relationship. There is also Bruiser, who is a mysterious guy. He is a tough, bulky man and is always wearing clothes that are too small for him. Bruiser’s brother, Cody, is a rowdy kid who is eight years old. They both live with their alcoholic uncle, Uncle Hoyt, in a small run down house.

The story starts off with Tennyson hating Bruiser because he asked his sister, Brontë, out on a date to miniature golf. Tennyson majorly disapproves and tries to stop it by going with his girlfriend, Katrina, on a date to the same place. He pulls Bruiser aside, threatening him to leave his sister alone. Reluctantly, Bruiser does. Brontë is furious by this and tells him to leave their relationship alone. A few days later, Tennyson goes to the locker room to get ready for lacrosse practice and sees Bruiser. The first thing he sees is his back covered with bruises. Discoloration, scars, marks, everything. Tennyson makes some small talk with him, trying not to sound completely rude. This makes him more curious about Bruiser. From Brontë’s perspective she tells us that they met in the library when Bruiser was looking for poetry books. They started talking and hit it off. Yet, it doesn’t take long for Brontë to find out his secret and what can come from it in the long run. This book puts you through all the emotions of confusion, excitement, sadness, and is very entertaining.

Review:

Bruiser was like nothing I’ve read before. I always like books where you can see the perspective of multiple characters. It’s like an inside scoop of their lives where you can find out about different thoughts before any other character does. Each character had a story and a meaningful role. The backgrounds of the characters were intriguing and unique from one another. As I mentioned before, I enjoyed all the different emotions that were incorporated into this book and it was full of surprises along the way. There were twists and turns that made you question what would happen next and it would make you want to keep reading.

The central themes were about how painful life can be and the empathy that it can draw out of characters. We see how words and actions can deeply impact others in a variety of ways. The plot of the story unfolded in a logical way that made sense for the characters. I also admired how throughout the book you could see the development of characters and how their point of views changed. For example, the other characters’ thoughts about Bruiser changed as they got to know his story.

I would read this book if you are interested in more intense stories that delve into human suffering and compassion. Although the book started out as harsh and aggressive, it eventually became a heartwarming tale of human connection . It wasn’t in my typical reading genre, I am so glad I read it and still highly recommend it!

I give it Bruiser a 📚📚📚📚on the reading scale: a fascinating and capturing read! (4/5)

Love, Saachi

GFB Ambassador