Book Review – Where I Ache by Megan O’Keeffe

Where I Ache by Megan O’Keeffe

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

First of all, I would like to thank Megan O’Keeffe for sending me an ARC of her poetry collection Where I Ache to read and review! I am quite late in giving my review, due to busyness in my work life, and so I do apologize for that. But I am here now and I am very happy to share my thoughts on O’Keeffe’s collection. I believe this is her second poetry collection, and I am looking forward to seeing her hone her craft.

That said, I did have some issues with this collection, and there are many places where O’Keeffe can improve.

Before I go into the issues, I would like to point out the good parts of O’Keeffe’s poetry.

I love that this whole collection is basically introspection. I think it is this description of self-awareness and introspection that does and will allow readers to really connect with her words. Personally, I have found many of my own feelings in O’Keeffe’s lines of poetry.

O’Keeffe writes in a very straightforward manner, which, while not really my style, is very accessible to those who are either unfamiliar with poetry, or who just don’t get it. She states her meaning plainly and doesn’t disguise anything.

Another thing that O’Keeffe writes very clearly is her social commentary. It’s done in an observer’s, an experiencer’s, perspective, and I think that’s why it works so well for this genre. It’s not hidden, though still leaves room for readers to interpret.

Unfortunately, for me, these positive aspects of Where I Ache do not overpower the negative aspects.

Overall, O’Keeffe’s writing style is very juvenile, and it is reminiscent of the style used by poets like Rupi Kaur and Amanda Lovelace. There is no real craft involved in terms of the verses (I don’t even know if I could call them verses), and O’Keeffe relies a lot on emotion to make these verses poetic.
There are certain poems in which she begins to have a rhyming scheme, but doesn’t stick to it and abandons it halfway through the poem. I understand that this was done for emphasis, but it feels more as if the rhymes are there just to be there, rather than for any other poetic purpose.

The structure and format of the collection is also somewhat juvenile, in that O’Keeffe doesn’t use spacing for emphasis like many more mature poets use. Instead she actually bolds or italicizes the words, which, while very straightforward, doesn’t leave much for the reader’s brain to do or focus on.
Altogether, the structure feels very much like reading a teenager’s diary.

Overall, I think that O’Keeffe has a lot of potential as a poet and a writer, but she needs to work on her craft a bit more, maybe go a bit out of the box next time.
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My many issues with this collection aside, here are the poems from this collection that I thought stood out more than the rest in terms of a more mature composition:

“Please Don’t Sugar Coat this for Me”
“Growth”
“No Evil”
“The Mind’s Maze”
“Bright As Stars”
“It’s All Wrong”
“No One Cries for the Sinners”
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O’Keeffe is not a poet that I would call a “wordsmith,” and while her craft is still very simple, I know that readers are loving and will love this collection for its simplicity and accessibility, as well as for its relatability regarding introspection and mental health.

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