Because I Am Furniture

by Thalia Chaltas

Read Thalia Chaltas's posts on the Penguin Blog. Anke's father is abusive. But not to her. He attacks her brother and sister, but she's just an invisible witness in a house of horrors, on the brink of disappearing altogether. Until she makes the volleyball team at school. At first just being exhausted after practice feels good, but as Anke becomes part of the team, her confidence builds. When she learns to yell "Mine!" to call a ball, she finds a voice she didn't know existed. For the first time, Anke is seen and heard. Soon, she's imagining a day that her voice will be loud enough to rescue everyone at home--including herself.

• ISBN10: 0670062987
• ISBN13: 9780670062980
• Publish Date: 16 April 2009
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 3 July 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Penguin USA
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

Because I Am Furniture was an interesting twist on YA issues books. Normally, it’s narrated by the person being abused and we see how it makes them feel and how they handle (or don’t handle) the situation. Instead, Because I Am Furniture is told by fourteen-year-old Anke, whose brother and sister are abused by their father. He essentially leaves Anke alone, not even acknowledging her presence on most days. Sometimes when he does have something to say to her, or he wants to punish her for some transgression, he takes out on her mother or siblings. Anke is practically invisible in her own home.

Watching the abuse in her household from Anke’s eyes was interesting. She see’s it everyday, but she’s never told anyone about it. She could, because she knows it’s wrong, but some part of her doesn’t want the attention that will bring. She’s glad her father doesn’t touch her, so she stays quiet to keep it that way. However, after joining the volleyball team and finally finding her voice and a place where is not invisible, she is able to translate that over into her home life. Of course, that brings major consequences.

I did enjoy Because I Am Furniture, but not as much as I was expecting to. The story felt a little disjointed since there’s several smaller stories going on. There’s Anke keeping the secret of her fathers abuse. Then there’s her forced friendship with Angeline, which seemed like something completely random until the very end. Anke also has some kind of secret romance going with a senior, but I never really understood the nature of that relationship since there’s only a few scenes with him. Then there’s her possibly budding romance with a fellow freshman, but that didn’t go anywhere either. And of course there’s her experiences playing volleyball, something her father doesn’t want her doing, but he also doesn’t bother punishing her for doing it. There’s just a lot going on, but we don’t get enough of any of these points to really care.

I just didn’t feel an emotional connection while reading this one. Nothing really happens until the last 50 pages or so, and then it was really good, but it was too late. Because I Am Furniture was a nice twist on the usual abuse books, but it just failed to draw me in completely and felt rushed at the end.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.