Bruiser

Brewster is the titular character of the novel. He is a 16-year-old high school student with the ability to take away the physical and emotional pain of others. He cannot choose what pain to take or from whom, but rather absorbs all of the pain of those he cares about when he is near them. Because of his gift, he intentionally isolates himself from the other students so as not to get too close with anyone. Because of his self-isolation, he is misunderstood by many of the students at school and is voted “Most Likely to Get the Death Penalty” by his classmates. The first time Brontë looks closely at him, she sees that he is “large but not fat, sloppy—not grungy” with clothes that are very “worn” and growing too small on him (58). This reflects of Brewster’s home-life, where he lives in a rundown house with his Uncle Hoyt and his little brother, Cody. His mother died when he was 10 from cancer, having chosen to move away from Brewster after her diagnosis rather than allow him to take away her cancer and make it his own.

Throughout the novel, Brewster slowly begins to care for Brontë and forms a friendship with Tennyson, as well as several other students in school. However, as he develops these connections, he also takes on their pain, which overwhelms him and covers him with physical bruises. In contrast to his relationship with Uncle Hoyt—who abuses Cody and even himself to in turn damage Brewster—which ends with Brewster choosing not to care about Hoyt and allowing him to die of a stroke, Brewster chooses to care about Brontë, ultimately sacrificing himself while she is drowning so that she will survive. This sacrifice, in turn, allows for Tennyson to change, giving him the realization that both negative and positive emotions are necessary to live a healthy life.

Brontë is Tennyson’s twin sister. She makes it her goal get Brewster to socialize with his classmates and gain friends, bringing him out of his self-isolation. She is popular in school, but doesn’t belong to an exclusive clique, instead choosing to be friendly with everyone. She first sees Brewster as a “stray dog,” and her initial attraction to him is rooted in a belief that she can reform him and make him more sociable. When she discovers Brewster’s ability, she realizes that he needs to isolate himself to remain safe from absorbing all the pain of those around him. However, this does not stop her from continuing to attempt to get Brewster to make friends, thereby leading to his emotional and physical damage from all of the new people in his life that he cares about.

In contrast to Tennyson, Brontë makes the conscious decision to withdraw herself from Brewster’s influence to truly grapple with her emotions and figure out what is happening within their home. In a moment of self-reflection, she realizes that she allowed Brewster to take on her pain and the pain of her parents because she “wanted it to happen. [She] wanted [her] world to be safe and whole at all costs” —even at the cost of Brewster’s physical and emotional wellbeing (303). Although she never actively passes her pain onto Brewster as Tennyson does during his lacrosse game, her willful ignorance does him just as much harm. Ultimately, like Tennyson, she ends up having all of her negative feelings returned, grapples with them, and survives, prepared to welcome Brewster back into her life and ensure that she holds onto her own emotions, both for her own benefit and for Brewster’s.