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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
I don't know how he does it, but Neal Shusterman always has the most unique ideas. Every one of his books that I've read is nothing like anything I've read before. Bruiser is no different. He creates characters that you care about, that are complex and real and broken. And you fall into his books so easily. This is a character driven book, the plot is kinda just life. I didn't expect the first twist at all, and then slowly things started to make more sense. I knew that this book could not end well. It was going to be sad and it was. I love that it's making me think.
Shusterman seems like a really creative and thoughtful person. When he came to my school, I was definitely impressed with all the concepts he was writing about and how he came up with such ideas. So, I finally decided to read a book --mostly because a librarian recommended it and when there's nothing left to shelf in the children's department where I work, there are books of this level to read--and I'd say Bruiser met my expectations. I needed to read a few young adult novels to catch up with my Goodreads goal and why not have it be Nutmeg novels. I think my favorite part of this book was the prose writing from the perspective of Bruiser... you don't often see that and that's basically my writing style all the time. It gave me hope! Anyways, it did persuade me to read Unwind as well, so that's next up, as I continue to drag my feet through my Giants book :p
4.5 Stars Rated Up
Bruiser is one of those books that just completely blindsides you. I didn’t do a lot of research before I started reading it. Hell, I didn’t do a lot of research before I even decided to buy it. I found it at a thrift store quite a while ago and recognized it as a book that a few booktubers had mentioned previously. It sat on my shelf for a while before I came across it again as a “Daily Deal” audiobook through Audible.
Bruiser tells the story of a misunderstood teenaged boy named Brewster Rawlins, nicknamed Bruiser due to his above average size. His classmates constantly tease him while also being slightly afraid of him. When Brewster begins an unlikely relationship with Brontë, her twin brother Tennyson doesn’t necessarily approve. Soon, strange things start to occur and any scrapes or bruises or physical harm that Brontë or Tennyson endure, disappear without any trace or explanation.
Bruiser started out one way and completely transformed as the story unfolded. Because I didn’t do much research beforehand, this book turned into something completely unexpected. I didn’t realize that there was a magical realism/sci-fi element to it until it presented itself. At first I was unsure about how much I was going to enjoy that element. I thought the story was going one way and I really wasn’t sure how I felt about the magical realism aspect.
Let me tell you right now that Bruiser was one of the best unexpected surprises I have ever read. I didn’t ever want to stop listening to it. I had it going while I got ready in the morning, while I took the bus home from work and every moment in between. I absolutely needed to know what was going to happen next immediately. I don’t think I have ever been this engrossed in an audiobook since I listened to The Martian.
Bruiser is told in four different character’s voices: Brewster, Tennyson, Brontë and Cody (Brewster’s younger brother). When I first began listening to the audiobook I just assumed that the entire novel was going to be told from Tennyson’s point of view as that was the way that it started out. I had no idea that the story was going to jump from character to character, but I’m really glad that it did. This provided the reader with multiple reactions to the same events. It showed us how the different characters were effected by different scenarios.
I absolutely loved all four of these main characters. When the novel first begins, we are viewing the story from Tennyson’s point of view. At first, Tennyson was a bit of a jerk and I really didn’t know how I felt about him, but as the story progressed and his attitude changed, he became one of the best characters. Brewster, however, instantly became my favourite. I loved the different ways in which Tennyson and Brontë came to befriend Brewster and I loved seeing their relationships grow. Brewster is the gentle giant type. Everyone assumes he’s mean and awful simply because of his large size, but in reality he is quite possibly the most innocent and pure character I have ever read. The relationships between him and Brontë, Tennyson and his brother Cody were all so different from one another, yet he loves them all equally.
The ending of this novel had me on the edge of my seat…quite literally, I was on the bus as I listened to the ending and I was just so anxious the entire time! I wanted everything to be okay and I wanted everything to be perfect, but like I said, Bruiser is one of those books that completely blindsides you. The ending was unexpected and it was left open rather than having a solid and conclusive ending. It’s hard to talk about without giving too much away. While there is room for a potential sequel, I truly believe that the open ending was the way to go for this novel.
As you can clearly tell, I absolutely loved Bruiser. I didn’t necessarily expect to enjoy it as much as I did, but I am really glad that I found it. Bruiser is a beautifully written novel that deals with heavy themes while adding a magical realism twist to the story. I thought that this novel was brilliant and I’m extremely eager to read more of Neal Schusterman’s work in the near future!
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Quick initial post reading thoughts:
Wow. I loved this. It was completely unexpected. It went in directions that I did not see coming. It was heartfelt and beautifully written and not enough people talk about this book.
I did not read the synopsis for this book so I didn't know what I was getting myself into. Neal shusterman is such a great writer. He has definitely grown more and more with each novel that he puts out. This story was so emotional about real life things that family go through with a touch of magic realism I would say. It gives you the perspective from 4 different views and Tennyson was my favorite. 4 star read from me
i loved this book it was sad how they knew he was doing this stuff but were to selfish to let go and take back there pain
I really enjoyed reading this book. I love each and every point of view it really adds to their character.I highly recommend if you like a book to pass time.
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse