Bruises on the Heart is a story about the cycle of violence passed down through three generations of one family in West Virginia. The story covers a period from 1946 to the early 1970's and chronicles the love and desperation that keeps a family together even though violence and fear intermingle daily with love and hope. The story covers a broad range of emotions from hope to despair, from the excitement of new love to the futility of a life of violence, from sad endings to new beginnings. The characters come alive on the pages of the book.