Poetry Review: Under The Influence

In this week’s blog post I’ll be reviewing Jacquelyn Lee’s poetry debut, Under The Influence. Trigger warning: A book about trauma, abuse and addiction.

Blurb

Under the influence is a journey of abuse, trauma, and grief through poetry. It is divided into three chapters: addiction, withdrawal, and overdose. Each chapter depicts a different part of the author’s abuse-ridden life as she grew up “under the influence” of her dysfunctional parents.

Jacquelyn Lee turns her pain into something beautiful through her gripping and moving words. Through poetry and prose, she expresses her experiences with an alcoholic father, a mentally-ill mother, the suicide of her father and everything in between. Under the influence brings the darkness into the light and gives a voice to the voiceless.

Review

I interviewed Jacquelyn Lee a while ago and asked her about her writing and Under The Influence. I’ve wanted to buy the book for a while and with Christmas money I was able to afford to.

I knew it was going to be about abuse and trauma but it was still surprising how many awful things happened to her and her family.

Jacquelyn is determined to help others through her writing and reading her book made me feel less alone. I, myself am from a broken home and can relate to some of Jacquelyn’s experiences. It’s a horrible thing to have to go through but I’m so glad she decided to share her experiences to create more awareness for domestic abuse victims.

The book is full of affirmations about how it’s not the victim’s fault for the abuser’s actions. She talks about addiction, alcohol, trauma and the abuse her and her siblings went through.

I admire her for talking and opening up about her parents and I can’t wait to read more of her writing.

You can follow Jacquelyn on Instagram: Jacquelyn.Lee

Twitter: _JacquelynLee

Facebook: JacquelynxLee

Or visit her website: http://www.Jacquelyn-Lee.com

I urge you to buy this book if you or someone you know has been through abuse and want to make a difference in the world. Until next time, love, Vee x