Bruiser

Bruiser by Neal Shusterman, first published in 2010, is a young adult novel. It explores the life of Brewster “Bruiser” Rawlins, a high school student who has the ability to take pain away from those he cares about. Through his supernatural ability, the novel explores themes of Finding Emotional Balance, The Complications of Empathy, and The Dangers of Excessive Dependence on Others. 

Shusterman is the author of dozens of young adult novels, short stories, and works of nonfiction. His work typically contains supernatural and science fiction elements while exploring the lives of teenage protagonists. One of his most popular novels, Challenger Deep (2015), won the 2015 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, and another, Scythe (2017) won the Michael L. Printz Honor. Several more have received various awards and nominations, while film and television adaptations of Scythe and Unwind (2017) are currently in production.

This guide uses the HarperTeen first paperback edition published in 2011.

Content Warning: This guide discusses drug and alcohol addiction, bullying, physical and emotional abuse, and emotional trauma as depicted in the novel.

Plot Summary

Told from the perspectives of four characters—Tennyson and his twin sister, Brontë, and Brewster and his little brother, Cody—Bruiser tells the story of Brewster "Bruiser" Rawlins.