Hollis Seamon

Let’s acknowledge right away that there are some similarities to The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Two spunky teenagers dying of cancer are in love, and want to live out the rest of their days in a validation of their existences. But there are differences enough to justify reading this book as well as the wonderful book by John Green.

This story takes place in a hospice. As the 17-year old narrator Rich Casey explains, “you only get into hospice if your prognosis is under a month.” show more He continues, “You arrive and thirty days later, you either go home or Go Home.”

The story begins on Halloween, a holiday that used to be Rich's favorite; when he was little, he loved to dress like a werewolf. Richie explains that three years earlier “the real monsters” marched into his life: “Surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, all those guys with knives and poisons and lethal rays.”

And yet, as Richie wryly notes, somehow, suddenly, he has girls actually competing for his sexual favors! In spite of this “hot-guy heaven” however, he doesn’t forget that he also has “the SUTHY Syndrome”:

"...six years of chemo, radiation, a zillion surgeries, loss of a couple major organs, watching your mom age twenty years in twenty months - if that’s not some kind of mistake, if that’s part of the Big Dude’s plan, well, then, it’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?”

In other words, Somebody Up There Hates You.

Nevertheless, Richie is still a teenager, and there’s the matter of the pretty 15-year-old girl down the hall, Sylvie, with whom he falls in love. Richie not only likes the way she looks (hairless and all), but also admires her sophistication, her honesty and her fierceness.

In his effort to have some solitary time with Sylvie (not easy in a hospice with crying family members constantly about), he enlists the help of the staff. He is so focused on his own needs though, he forgets that those who take care of him night and day are people too. After a number of episodes in which he causes a lot of trouble and pain, his favorite nurse Edward loses patience with him:

"Everybody’s got troubles, you know that? The world’s a universally sad and fucked-up place. People hurt, all of them. You beginning to get that? Or do you still think it’s just you, man? Only you that suffers? Like you’ve been singled out?”

Edward tells Richie to grow up, and he agrees he ought to try, but he’s only got a month in which to do it.

Evaluation: This is a good book and an excellent depiction of what life is like in a hospice both for those who are confined there and those who work there. Yes, it can be heartbreaking from a philosophical standpoint, but the story itself is funny and enlightening. show less

Richard Casey has terminal cancer. He’s living in hospice, but one thing sets him apart from the other patients there. He’s only seventeen. Somebody Up There Hates You could have turned into the typical heart-breaking tale of a dying boy, but it didn’t. Richard was the comic relief as a main character. He is determined to live every day to the fullest even as his health deteriorates.

Somebody Up There Hates You takes you through Richard losing his virginity, getting drunk for the first show more time, and growing up in a place where no kid should have to grow up. Richard focuses on falling in love, making memories with his family, and being a normal teenager.

I really enjoyed reading Somebody Up There Hates You. It was heart-warming and yes, sad, but not so sad that I needed to lay in my bed and cry all day. This novel was a great story of overcoming your problems and staying positive even in the worst of situations. Seamon created a very original story out of a topic that has been written about time and time again. I think that shows real talent as a writer. show less

I have read over 80 books this year and this book moved me the most. This story talks of Richard and Sylvie, teenagers, who have "Somebody Up There Hates You" syndrome. They are kids with cancer and in a hospice. What is different from them and other hospice residents is that they are still teenagers and despite their angst behave for the most part like teenagers. The book is poignant and funny at the same time and even raunchy but I, could not complain about the raunchiness because it was show more totally in keeping with the characters. There is a lot of drama at the end and I would have to say a real tearjerker but don't let that deter you. Whether you are a boy or girl or an adult this book is a must read. show less

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I’ve got to admit that I started this book laughing for totally childish reasons. Apparently this author’s last name is pronounced “semen” and I’ve got the humor of a preteen in the first health class that gets into sex. Still, Hollis Seamon’s name sort of sets a nice stage for the audiobook of Somebody Up There Hates You, because there’s a whole lot of humor of that sort, juxtaposed with the seriousness of show more dying young.

Likely following in the trend of The Fault in Our Stars, Somebody Up There Hates You is about a romance between two teens in hospice. In case, like me, you didn’t actually know what a hospice is, I’ve learned that it’s where people are sent when they have less than a month to live. The main character is a seventeen-year-old boy named Richard Casey. He’s obviously not too happy with his life, since he’s dying of cancer. Still, he’s got a pretty good sense of humor in the face of his impending demise.

Also in hospice is Sylvie, younger than him at fifteen, but more popular than he ever was. The two strike up a romance rather quickly. Frankly, it’s a bit instalovey, but that really didn’t bother me, because, were I going to be dying immediately for sure, I would probably try to eke out as much life in what time remained to me. I honestly didn’t feel the connection between them, but I was sympathetic to their need for that attachment.

The best part of Somebody Up There Hates You is the dark humor. For example, the title refers to what Richard likes to tell people he’s dying of: SUTHY disease. What other reason is there for a teen to die of cancer? The humor’s definitely off-the-wall. The narrator Noah Galvin does a really good job capturing Ritchie’s voice, which really helped me enjoy Somebody Up There Hates You.

While Seamon does get into the uncomfortable realities of hospice life (the assisted showers, the weakness, not eating), Somebody Up There Hates You still feels way too wish fulfillment-y. Like, I get the whole carpe diem element, but I did not expect a dying teen in hospice to get so much action View Spoiler ». Plus, I feel like he got away with a lot more stuff then would ever be allowed in an actually hospice. I don’t really know, but it didn’t strike me as particularly believable.

Somebody Up There Hates You was an entertaining listen, but its similarity to The Fault in Our Stars and Cold Hands, Warm Heart kept it from being particularly impressed. show less