How many pages is bruiser

I find his writing to be too. They've all had an overwhelming sense of melancholy that dragged me down into the doldrums. But there's a difference between telling a story with painful elements, and telling a story in which the entire tone is pain and suffering.

Shusterman's other books have been the latter. Too depressing. While Brewster is a wretchedly unfortunate individual, Tennyson is snarkily hilarious enough to counter it, and Cody's child-like exuberance also tips the balance. So while the story plays out, spiraling further and further toward the inevitable conclusion--life cannot continue in the previous manner; there has to be change--the characters are fantastic enough to stave off the gloom, and wonder-of-wonders, the books ends with hope.

I love books that end with hope. First of all, this book might just have the best first chapter I've ever read in my life. Seriously, I don't think Neal Shusterman's genius will ever fail to amaze me. He is too awesome for words. It's not fair.

Well, okay——Unwind is still my favorite. Everlost and Everwild are pretty hard to beat, too. But Bruiser is also very very amazing. I don't really want to say what it's about, since part of its magic is in finding out Bruiser's secret on your own. But I can tell ya, this book——like all of Shusterman's books——is highly original. I absolutely adore the premise, and Shusterman executes it perfectly. His writing is amazing, his characters are realistic and likable … Basically, this is the kind of book that will keep you thinking for days afterward.

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.

It is a premise with a lot of room for thought, even though the idea itself is not necessarily an original one think Stephen King 's The Green Mile. What if there is someone in your life that can take away your hurts?

Would you want to live pain-free? How would that alter your experience of life? Will it make your life easier? Or will absence of pain devalue your appreciation of the rare moments of happiness? Will you ever learn of the dangers of the world if someone always takes your falls? Would you be comfortable knowing that someone suffers for you?

Would you want that person by you at all times? Will you become dependent on this stolen sense of safety? Bruiser raises and answers these questions quite well, but never lives up to its full potential. This story is handicapped by too many perspectives IMO. Granted, all 4 Brewster, Tennyson, Bronte and Cody's are unique, but splitting the plot 4 ways dilutes it.

Writing Brewster's story from one perspective would have focused it better, would have made it more personal, more urgent. As is, this novel is not bad, but neither is it great or unforgettable. I won't even say that I was so intrigued by the synopsis or the title or the cover art that I paid for it with my own hard earned dollars.

All I will say is that my mom told me I would like it and practically put her copy of Bruiser in my hands, and the next day at work I was so incredibly bored I decided to read a few pages. I got little work done that night. Bruiser is one of those punch-you-in-the-gut, stab-you-in-the-heart kind of books that you run across only once in a long while.

Does it have a bit of supernatural? A little bit of romance? Maybe a sliver. Just a taste. What it is rich in is humanity. Shusterman's character study isn't for the faint of heart and this book isn't for those seeking a quick and easy read. He puts a price on happiness and asks the terrifying question, what would you do if you had a chance to live without pain?

Narrated by four strikingly different characters, Shusterman delves into the timeless theory that happiness is merely the contrast to sorrow. And you can't have one without the other. What's a life devoid of pain? Is it full of pure happiness? It's completely neutral which is no life at all. Brewster "Bruiser" Rawlins is the embodiment of all the pain in the world, at least in the world of the other narrators, Bronte his girlfriend , Cody his kid brother , and Tennyson Bronte's brother and the would-be voice of the novel.

The thing about these kids is that they are just your average, everyday, normal kids. And the plot of the novel is driven by their average, everyday, normal situations. Think classmate rivalry. Think sibling quarrels. Think parent divorce.

Think about your own adolescence and you'll probably come pretty close. The seeming super power of Bruiser to absorb the pain both external and internal of those he cares about is very much played down. Mom was in the bathroom all morning, and had just come out. Mom's been doing that a lot recently. I'll walk around, looking for her because I want waffles or grilled cheese, or to play Ouija, and I can't find her, and then I'll stand in front of the bathroom or her bedroom, and I'll hear her inside, making soft sounds.

And I'll lie on my belly and watch the shadows she makes, and sometimes I'll see her feet, crouching in front of the toilet, and then violent splashing sounds, or feet across the floor into bed. Later when she's left, I'll lie in the bed and feel a wet spot on the pillow.

Mom said, He seems quite bad. And Dad said, Yes. Then Mom made bird sounds. I had been lying in the clothes hamper for a long time and my legs had fallen asleep.

So you'll go down then? Dad asked. But Mom stayed quiet. And my arms were also asleep, and my middle and my head were asleep, so when they came, my body had vanished, and deep below the clothes it was dark and the sounds soft. I stayed very still, knowing that the moment I moved I'd feel myself again. I'm sorry , Dad said. Yes , Mom said. Mom goes to Florida a lot. Until three years ago, when I turned six and started elementary school, I would go too. Now Mom leaves me alone with Dad and the brothers, Jordan and Daniel.

I know I shouldn't, but sometimes I wish Granpa would die. Then Mom said, Can't you I heard the floor whine, Dad stepping forward. I heard clothes shuffle, two quick pats, then Dad's heavy footsteps walking away. Mom breathed a lot, then sat on top of the hamper. That made me jerk and I felt my body again, the heavy smelly clothing on top of me warm from my breath.

And suddenly I felt trapped, buried alive. I wanted to jump, to escape. I wanted to smell fresh air. I wanted to make a racket, to run. But, I stayed very, very still. Mom laughed. A tiny, funny laugh like she was laughing underwater. He lays his disco pants out on his bed below a polyester shirt with a photo print of a surfer. It's Saturday night and he's going to a party.

I sit on the floor of the brothers' room and watch them. I'm not some little pea-head like you: what are you? Daniel hasn't looked over even once. Jordan runs his hands over the legs of the pants, smoothing them out. Daniel sits at his desk drawing. Music plays. Jordan, a towel around his waist from a shower, does a dance, pointing at his reflection, singing along. I walk to Daniel's desk. Dad gives Daniel drawing lessons. Dad has given him a little wooden man to practice with.

His parts are different shapes: egg shape for the head, cylinders for the legs and arms, all flat and smooth, no eyes, no fingers.

The man can be moved into different poses. This book had me screaming at how it ended, tearing up at the most sensitive parts, and smiling at the funny but serious moments throughout the chapters that tied every last part of this amazing book together. Bruiser is a heart warming, tear jerking, and smile inducing book that is a great ready for anyone who loves a gripping story from beginning to end.

Oh my goodness Payton I am so with you on this book I was never a reader but reading this has changed my whole perspective on the world. I never wanted to put it down. I absolutely fell in love with Bruiser and the other characters!

One of my favorite books and trust me, I love to read! It addresses some serious issues in an original way that appeals to my middle school students. Thank you, Neal Shusterman. But I just have one question. Did Brewster die? Because the phone was broken, and there was no way it had worked until then… Was Brew contacting them through a broken phone to tell them he was dead and that he wanted to say goodbye?

I mean, I understand that thhehe h sme on Brontes face said it all but, was it teally? I would appreciate an answer. This book should be a movie its like a play i pictured this whole book in my head and it was absolutely exhilarating this is the only book i want to read and will forever read.

I love all your books and would like to say that bruiser is by far the best book i have ever read from you and could not get enough of it maybe a part II would be appropriate. I am dying for a second book for this series to come out. I want to see what happens to Brew.

I just finished reading Bruiser for a summer reading project, and I must say, I enjoyed this book so much that I only have one big question: is there going to be a sequel? It is a great book but it would be great to see wht the future holds for Tenny,Bronte,Cody,and Brew. Bruiser is in development as a TV series, so we may get to see where their lives go after the end of the book. As for me, some books are stand-alones, with no sequel.

The story is over the moment they truly do. I love it and its so interesting. Please i beg of you make a second book on it. I read this book about two years ago when I found it in a lost and found bin at my school, and let me tell you I am a very picky reader. This book, however, just grabbed me in.