Bruiser: A Novel

by Ian Chorao

After spending another morning hiding in the clothes hamper eavesdropping on his miserable parents, Bruiser realizes it's time to change his life. It's New York City during the late 1970s, and in the middle of a chilly autumn night he takes to the open road with Darla, a kindred spirit who lives across the alleyway. Their flight from the mounting tensions of home -- an adventure dotted with frightening episodes and surprising revelations -- is a journey in search of liberation and emotional truth.

This is Bruiser's tale in his own words, captured by first-time novelist Ian Chorão with uncanny precision and an ear for the staccato rhythms of childhood consciousness. Refreshingly free of sentimentality, Bruiser confronts the darkness and violence of life even as it illuminates its wonder and sweetness.

Genres: Fiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[William Habeeb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across this book in 2020 when I was researching coming-of-age novels, and was blown away by its language (the dialogue is wonderful), the way that Ian got inside the head of his nine year-old protagonist and the way that plot and story worked so well together. You may think that age nine is early to be coming-of-age, but life/family circumstances can speed things up, and the family and community tensions and stresses that Bruiser (the protagonist) encounters (and flees from) are seen through his eyes. This is either semi-autobiographical or Chorao has the ability to possess the minds of nine year-olds, because this is an amazingly authentic work. It's not Disney, by any means, but the cold truth is that for so many kids in this country life never resembles Disney. Anyway, Bruiser's courage, resilience and determination make him much more heroic to me than any Disney fantasy.

[Lexi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bruiser is incredibly well written. The story is narrated by 9-year old Bruiser (that's the nickname the kids in his neighborhood have given him) and I'm half convinced Ian Chorao actually wrote parts of it when he was 9, because it feels so genuine. I was shocked when I saw there are less than 100 ratings on Goodreads. Perhaps the despondent mood turned many readers away or maybe it was just bad marketing. If you come across this book, give it a read. It's worth it.

[Kieran · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m giving this 4 stars but I have a feeling I might update to 5 after letting this book sit with me and reading some others. What a beautifully gritty book. Highly recommend if you’re looking for something deeper and different - the narrator’s voice is unlike anything I’ve read before. Hooked me from the beginning and kept me there, even through the parts that were hard to read. The author perfectly captured the way adult behavior affects children.

[Cat. · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW.

If you want to crawl inside the head of a 10-year-old boy whose parents are not behaving particularly adult-like, and whose brothers are checking out as well, this is the book for you. Sound boring? No, not at all. Instead it is, by turns grim, embarrassing, awful, reminiscent, sad, enlivening, hopeful...

Set in 1977-78, in New York City, written entirely from the viewpoint of this boy. He and a neighbor girl run away because of the aforementioned Stupid Parent Behavior (her parents are divorced, and her mom is dating a dentist who prescribes downers for mom). They find her dad, who takes the Why Some People Shouldn't Be Parents prize (which is hard, since most of these folks are in the running), then they are off to find another boy he met over vacation in Massachusetts. In their travels they meet a Japanese WWII vet and a 12-year-old beauty pageant veteran among other characters.

This is never anything but honest and 10-year-old boyish. Took awhile to get into it, but once you're in, it's very hard to climb outside the head of this kid. Lots of symbolism, lots of depth.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is bleak, depressing and unbelievably slow-moving. In fact, the only thing about it that I think a person could possibly like, is that it makes you feel better about your own life. Why read something this dreary and sad? There are no happy endings for anyone, and while I suppose that is a harsh reality for families like the one depicted in this book, why would you turn to something like this for entertainment? Definitely do not read this if you're looking for something enjoyable. I hated every minute of this book and actually skimmed through the last several chapters because I just could not take it any more.

[abbylee Oqueli · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading the reviews, I was excited about experiencing the way the author captured the voice and mentality of a 9 year old boy. While reading the story, however, I felt very differently about this. While there were moments that it was beyond obvious I was reading from the perspective of a young boy, there were way more moments when I stopped and couldn't help but wonder what 9 year old had the capacity to think so critically and deeply. With that being said, he was a truly loveable character and my heart broke for him on every page. It was a fast read and one I didn't want to put down, but one that filled me with frustration and anger. Definitely worth the time!

[Bleistiftspitzerin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I wasn`t able to like this book, because we had to read it for school, but somehow, I could`t come that clear with the protagonists. The story was nice and some parts shocking, by being really thrilling it failed.

[Janie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little boy and his girlfriend run away from crazy mothers

[Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book, I could read it over and over and not be tired of it. There were several funny parts in it that had me laughing out loud, despite the general seriousness of the story.

[Jessica Geist · Rating 3 out of 5]

gritty; my heart went out to the protagonist of the book; I wanted his family to see him and the pain their actions were bringing into his little world.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

lovelovelovelovelove. For some reason, I want to say it was like *The Book Thief*, but it really wasn't anything at all like *The Book Thief*. One of my favorites for this year.

[Joslyn C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great. Some parts I laughed others had me in tears almost. Would definitely recommend to anyone!!

[Kwoomac]

Too depressing