Tennyson can hardly believe that his twin sister Brontë is going out with the Bruiser. I mean, seriously. This guy got voted most like to get the death penalty. One look at him is all you need to see that he's no good.
Brontë can't believe how pig-headed Tennyson is being. Does he really believe all those horrible rumors about Brewster? If you actually talk to him, there's more, much more. She can hardly believe the things that are happening.
Accidentally, Tennyson sees Brewster without a shirt on...and his back is a battlefield of bruises and lacerations. The scars extend all across his back. Who could have done something like that to him? When he asks, Brewster straight up denies that his uncle had anything to do with it. There is something he isn't telling, but Tennyson can only guess at what that could be...and the thought scares him a little.
It's cemented when a cut on Tennyson's hand magically appears on Brewster's (and disappears from Tennyson's). Is this even possible? Can Brewster take away someone else's pain?
This adds a whole new dimension to the image that Brewster has fostered, intentionally avoiding people and minding his own business. When he gets close to someone, he starts to care...and if he cares, he can't help but take on their injuries. He doesn't understand it himself, he only knows that it happens.
Can Bronte and Tennyson help Brewster? Will they find a way to mend their broken family? This touching story is written from multiple perspectives, including Brewster's voice in verse style poetry. It adds a depth that is quintessential of Shusterman's characters, and makes for a very memorable story. Highly recommended.
“I'll never understand how a man can live his life With his finger on the self-destruct button, Holding it there day after day, Blinded by an obsession to press it But lacking the conviction to do even that," (Shusterman, 2011).*Library Link*
If you liked this, check out:
The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman
Split by Swati Avasthi
Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Shusterman, Neal. (2010). Bruiser. New York: HarperTeen.
While Unwind may have some of Shusterman's best writing, Bruiser is his best overall novel to date. Multiple voices are written masterfully, the suspense sets in quickly and does not relent, characters are interesting and worth following...in short, everything works and works very well. All told, Shusterman uses a super-human character to show the best, worst, and always flawed faces of humanity.
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