Brewster (or Bruiser), a 15-year old troubled, withdrawn kid, is in a possession of a special gift/curse - he absorbs physical pain from people he cares about. He can't control this ability, he just takes away the hurts of his friends and family, whenever he is close to them, and experiences it, regardless of if he wants it or not. Bruiser has always tried to not get attached to people, to spare himself unnecessary suffering. His social circle is limited to his abusive uncle and younger brother Cody. Things change when he becomes an object of interest of 2 twins - Bronte and Tennyson. These two give Brewster friendship and love that he craves, but as he gets involved with the siblings and their uneasy family life, he is forced to take on more pain than he can possibly handle.
My Thoughts...
The book is really about sacrifice and love: Would you sacrifice your own happiness if it meant that those you love would feel no pain? Is Brewster's power to take away the pain from those he loves a gift or a curse? How can a person be happy knowing that someone he or she loves must feel so much pain? By taking pain away from those you love because you can't bear to see them suffer, are you causing them to in turn suffer over your pain? It's a vicious circle in the way love so often is. Bruiser is poignant, masterfully written and handled, tragic, hopeful, and many other things all at once, and it captures those emotions so beautifully that you're left with no choice but to be sucked in. It's a book about pain, and accepting it. It's a book about acceptance in general. It's a book about family, and sticking together even when things are falling apart and you don't know what to do. It's beautiful in every way, and I'll definitely be reading it again.
My Thoughts...
The book is really about sacrifice and love: Would you sacrifice your own happiness if it meant that those you love would feel no pain? Is Brewster's power to take away the pain from those he loves a gift or a curse? How can a person be happy knowing that someone he or she loves must feel so much pain? By taking pain away from those you love because you can't bear to see them suffer, are you causing them to in turn suffer over your pain? It's a vicious circle in the way love so often is. Bruiser is poignant, masterfully written and handled, tragic, hopeful, and many other things all at once, and it captures those emotions so beautifully that you're left with no choice but to be sucked in. It's a book about pain, and accepting it. It's a book about acceptance in general. It's a book about family, and sticking together even when things are falling apart and you don't know what to do. It's beautiful in every way, and I'll definitely be reading it again.