Built from Bruises: A Raw, Unflinching Story of Grief, Survival, and Breaking the Cycle

Grief isn’t just something you feel. It’s something you carry—like a bruise under your skin, dark and deep, long after the blow fades.For Alana, grief is a constant companion. It moved in when her brother was murdered, when her mother stopped showing up, when the men she loved twisted love into control. Built from Bruises is her story—and the story of every woman who has tried to hold her family together while falling apart herself.Told in lyrical, unflinching prose, this novel is a searing exploration of family, trauma, and the quiet, fierce act of survival. It’s for the women who stay too long, the daughters who grow up too fast, and the mothers who choose—again and again—to break the cycle, even when it feels impossible.For readers of Jesmyn Ward, Kiese Laymon, and Saeed Jones, Built from Bruises is a testament to the fact that healing is messy, survival is brave, and some stories deserve to be told—no matter how much they hurt. Read more