During its January meeting, Book Club discussed “Bruiser” by Neal Shusterman.

“Bruiser” is a fictional novel following the lives of twins Tennyson and Brontë and brothers Brewster and Cody. The story begins when Brontë decides to go on a date with Brewster, nicknamed Bruiser, the school’s “resident creepy dude.”

As Brontë starts to fall in love with Brewster, she learns that he has a secret. Brewster takes away the injuries of people he cares about. Before he began dating Brontë, Brewster had been able to take the pain of only his brother Cody and uncle Hoyt. Things began to change, however, when he started letting other people into his life.  He describes the wounds that he took from Brontë and her brother, Tennyson:

(They) will heal without mystery or magic at the normal

pace of life—in a week, two weeks, three—like the

raw-knuckle scabs of her brother, now mine, too,

like the bruises, breaks, and scrapes, the scars of a

lifelong battle that defines me.

While Brewster is dealing with the repercussions of caring, Tennyson and Brontë are having a crisis of their own. Their parents’ marriage is in jeopardy because of infidelity of both the mother and father. When Brewster has dinner with the family one evening, their father erupts:

“Let me tell you about life,” he said. “Life is all about revenge. Getting back at the other guy at all costs; isn’t that right, Lisa? Why don’t you tell everyone about your ‘class’?”

Family life is not great for Brewster and Cody either. They live with Uncle Hoyt, a bitter and cruel man who exploits Brewster’s abilities. When Hoyt dies of a stroke, Brewster and Cody move in with Brontë and Tennyson, who learn that Brewster’s abilities go far deeper than healing physical injuries.

This book presents some very interesting questions about pain, both physical and emotional, and how it affects humanity.  During book club discussion, sophomore Elizabeth Shokoya presented her opinion on the difference between the two types.

“Last time I checked you can’t put Neosporin on your soul,” Shokoya said.

While it has an interesting and exciting story line, the complex relationships and thematic concepts in “Bruiser” make the novel very powerful. I like that the point of view switches between four different people; it gives the reader more perspective and allows him or her to better understand the actions and opinions of the characters. I generally enjoy Neal Shusterman’s books, and “Bruiser” was no exception. I definitely recommend it.