Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Sep 2013
256 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
"Chemo, radiation, a zillion surgeries, watching my mom age twenty years in twenty months... if that's part of the Big Dude's plan, then it's pretty obvious, isn't it? Enough said."
Smart-mouthed and funny, sometimes raunchy, Richard Casey is in most ways a typical seventeen-year-old boy. Except Richie has cancer, and he's spending his final days in a hospice unit. His mother, his doctors, and the hospice staff are determined to keep Richie alive as long as possible. But in this place where people go to die, Richie has plans to make the most of the life he has left.
Sylvie, the only other hospice inmate under sixty, then tells Richie she has a few plans of her own. What begins as camaraderie quickly blossoms into real love, and this star-crossed pair is determined to live on their own terms, in whatever time they have left.
Making her young adult fiction debut, Hollis Seamon creates one of the most original voices to appear in young adult literature, narrating a story that is unflinching, graphic, heartbreaking, funny, and above all life-affirming in its depiction of what it really means to be a teenager dying of cancer.
"Starred Review. Initially, Richie comes across as almost manic, but once readers settle deeper into the story, they will see Richie and Sylvie for who they are and understand that being near death doesn't mean abandoning hope for the life that remains. Ages 14–up." - Publishers Weekly
"Heartfelt... The language is raw and even profane at times, but hardly inappropriate given the circumstances... This novel is respectful of its serious subject matter, yet is an entertaining and heartening read." - School Library Journal
"Starred Review. Each character is vividly drawn, with a sharp, memorable voice that readers will love and remember... A fresh, inspiring story." - Kirkus
"I read Somebody Up There Hates You in one great rush. This novel is funny, harrowing, and wildly profane. It had me crying with laughter on one page and then just plain crying on another." - Will Schwalbe, author of The End of Your Life Book Club
This information about Somebody Up There Hates You was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Hollis Seamon lives and writes in Kinderhook, NY. She teaches writing at the College of Saint Rose in Albany NY and at the Fairfield University MFA in Creative Writing Program, Fairfield CT. Her most recent book is Corporeality, a collection of short stories published in January 2013 by Able Muse Press. Coming in September 2013 is Hollis's first young adult novel, Somebody Up There Hates You, one of the inaugural books in Algonquin's new Young Readers line.
The Stone Home
by Crystal Hana Kim
A moving family drama and coming-of-age story revealing a dark corner of South Korean history.
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
