Ache.

by Lillian Olson

Ache is a powerful and vivid collection of free verse poetry that intimately explores the emotional impact of depression and anxiety as it manifests and transforms over time. This is a raw and honest personal account of mental illness offered to those looking to consider, to understand or to feel, in some small way, known. Ache is a unique journey that holds strange beauty in its truth.

Genres: Poetry, Mental Health

140 pages, Paperback

Published May 12, 2017

Reviews

[Alice-Elizabeth (Prolific Reader Alice) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is another poetry collection that I read via Kindle Unlimited since I like reading poems about mental health even though it's never easy to talk about it. Sadly with Ache, the content was very trigger heavy and darker than I thought it would be. Due to this, the pacing didn't flow as well either since I found myself skipping some poems altogether with the uncomfortable imagery. This wasn't for me!

[Shea ☾⚂ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some of this was so morbid and disturbing

[Julia Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raw and real

Now this is the kind of poetry I like to read. I cannot explain how much i am sick of reading about relationships and love in poetry. I really liked how dark, raw and very honest these poems were. I related to this book so much and truly enjoyed every single of them. At the end of the book the poems give away from being dark to being very optimistic and gentle. She describes depression and anxiety perfectly well. She did really amazing job on this book I think.

[Rachel Nicole Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raw

This is an honest, raw, and very true piece of poetic work and I have truly enjoyed every single poem in it.

Xo,
Rach

[Cynthia Cashman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bizarre, dark, mental illness in its darkest corners.

I am giving one star as this book is too dark and too negative for me. It was a burden to finish. Many very long poems. Perhaps this may be your cup of tea, not one for me.

[kamryn ౨ৎ · Rating 2 out of 5]

confusing ??

[Hannah M · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh.

[Michaela Belmont · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of poetry is undeniably powerful. The self-loathing that is the subject of many of these poems is so raw and vivid, yet the serene, almost optimistic beauty that permeates the poems near the end are delicate and gentle. This book offers a glimpse into the bottomless well of pain and fantasy that are available to those who belong more to the “other” places than here. It is a study in deep, ruminating, self-suffocating emotion, as well as the peace and joy that are available to those who able to transform it.

[Meghan Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredible. Breathtaking. Amazing. I want to underline every single stanza or write them on scraps of paper to keep in my pockets. It is an intensely private and personal read, looking into someone's soul, yet with the comfort that comes from universality. It served as a quiet reminder that no matter the icky sticky parts of you, you are not alone. It felt like finding myself in someone else.

An absolute must. You will be all the richer for it.

[Guts Reads · Rating 1 out of 5]

Can’t get past first few pages because it is so aggressively dark. Gave me TW vibes.

[Ámbar · Rating 3 out of 5]

👍🏽

Good and dark! I like most of it although the cruelty in her words for herself are overwhelming. I know about it and maybe it’s why i find it disturbing. But art is disturbing!

[Natalie (Rosie) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read a lot of poetry lately and I’ve thought it was all quite pretty but not all of it wowed me or hit close to home for me like this one did. Maybe this is only 5 stars because the imagery and topic made me think so clearly of my own experiences, but reading experience is subjective and the similarities kept me hooked.

The collection isn’t just dark dark dark. There’s optimism and hope mixed in to. This is the struggle of mental health and knowing that you aren’t handling things well, but it’s also the day when you think that things aren’t too bad and you’ll get out of it.

This is heavy. This book has self-harm, depression, anxiety, and many other dark topics. If that triggers you or is uncomfortable for you to read then do NOT pick this up. But if you find comfort in knowing others have had the same/similar thoughts as you then this poetry will stick with you after you read it.

[EstephBooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really don't know why I expected something different from this book taking into account that it's named "Ache" but at first I found it too dark for me then I realized that it's just too realistic, it reminded me of those times when I was sad all day for no clear reason, those times when I wrote my fingers off and still felt like I was not worthy of dreaming that one day I could become an author. And well, I kept reading and got to the conclusion that in fact it's way too dark for me. Didn't like it as much and I wanted to.

[Dolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honest, Beautiful Work

If you’ve ever felt the isolation and loneliness of anxiety and/or depression you will see yourself in these poems. It’s been several years since I’ve experienced such a profound loneliness, but reading her work takes me back to those darker days. It makes me empathetic to others; I found myself highlighting many of her poems, as i see many of my friends and family struggling right now. She gives voice to a pain where it is often times hard to find the words to express how you feel.

[Elena Florence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was it dark? Yes! But it was so real and I feel like honestly she just wasn’t afraid to hurt her own feelings and I admire that. I hate when people say it was dark, bizarre, depressing, etc.... look at the cover and the title. What gives you the impression that it would be anything else? I loved this collection of poetry and I didn’t relate to every single poem (because who does?) but I still LOVED a good amount of them. It was totally worth the read.

[Zoey Zane · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've been on a poetry kick lately. I really wanted to like this one. It has major potential, but it just fell short. The formatting was terrible, which took away from some of the poems. It made it slightly off and not in a good way. There were a few poems that resonated with me, but overall, this one was just not my cup of tea. I'm no stranger to depression and mental illness. I just feel like it could have been done better and not so all over the place.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW.

I began reading poetry recently to learn to love something that required high school reading took from me. Throughout that journey, I have never been more deeply affected and moved by a poetry collection. Lillian Olson really captures what it’s like to be so young and struggle so hard with your inner self. I will carry poem 12:25 pm in my heart for a long while. Thank you Ms. Olson, for your writing.

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I’m a sucker for (and genuinely love) light, happy, and optimistic prose but this is was beautiful and dark from the beginning. So dark. The words in these poems mirror the way that I felt when I was in the deepest depths of depression. I appreciated the end and the change of tone. There is always hope, there is always a reason to keep living.

[Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Queen of Lost Things

Found the Empress of Doom
told her
I see you.
And The Weight was lifted.
the Empress took
a step
then another
picked up
her Magic Pen
and wrote
Thank you.

[Carma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really my style of poetry. Some of the imagery was beautiful, but I had a hard time connecting or feeling close to a lot of the poems in the collection. Not bad poetry, by any means, just not my personal style.

[Taylor Daugherty · Rating 2 out of 5]

This really wasn’t for me. I enjoyed some parts of it, but I didn’t realize how dark and hard hitting it would actually be, with really graphic moments. It was just very hard for me to get through, and I couldn’t see it relating to many. I just couldn’t relate to really any of it.

[Brooke Palacios · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real

Raw and real in the very best and most brutal way. I can see where some would feel it is too much, but as someone who has also dealt with depression, I can only nod my head and tip my hat.

[jess :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t read much poetry, but so many of these poems just hit really hard. They were all honest and they just perfectly described life. And I just found myself tabbing and tabbing and tabbing and feeling so many different things while reading this. The second half was probably my favorite part. So many of those poems are my favorite and I can’t wait to compile quotes from this.

[taylor c milnes · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book tries way too hard to be dark and gruesome in its imagery. i don’t personally care for work that does that. i read poetry for the beauty of it. the one single poem i almost liked in this work lost its way halfway through and turned into the same stuff as all the other poems. not for me

[Watch Jamie Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

“No time to walk with the world tonight.”

I connected deeply with the words in this collection. It discusses the different “aches” that we accumulate. It expresses loving a mediocre life and the aches that come from not achieving your dreams. It was a beautiful collection.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection that perfectly describe the feeling of having a mental illness. The words come alive and the poet creates a sea of poems that are colored by originality and creativity. I highly recommend! There's something in here to touch everyone !

[Amanda B · Rating 5 out of 5]

So relatable, even down to the graphic thoughts.

[Valen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some places were difficult to read and feel due to the formatting but the poems that weren't hard to read were beautiful so, 3/5 Stars - overall decent book

[jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Katie L. Tyler]

DNF
Got to page 15 and just isn't my style of poetry