Somebody Up There Hates You

Seventeen-year-old Richie is suffering from SUTHY (Somebody Up There Hates You) syndrome; hospice expects he won't live longer than a month. Narrator Noah Galvin doesn't hold back on Richie's dark, sarcastic tone, especially as he sneers at the sappy harpist whose music "seems a bit premature," especially for dying teenagers like him and Sylvie. When fifteen-year-old Sylvie tells him she doesn't want to die a virgin, a smile hovers in Galvin's voice as Richie realizes it's never too late to turn into the popular guy and life is "all about surprises." Galvin also portrays the tender Sylvie and the nurses who care and grieve for the dying, but they form an emotional backdrop. Galvin keeps Richie in the foreground, noting his wonder, and anger, with heartbreaking intensity. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Starred review from July 8, 2013
Dying’s lousy at any age, but it’s even worse if, like Richie Casey, you’re 17. But even in hospice, a lot can happen in a short time, as Richie finds out. Indeed, an almost amazing amount: Richie’s uncle takes him out for a night of partying; girls start paying attention to him (and not just Sylvie, the 15-year-old across the hall); there are pranks and fistfights; and Richie gets a chance to be a normal teenager—or as normal as possible, given that he’s surrounded by nurses, never knows how he’ll feel next, and the annoying harpist in the lobby just keeps playing. In her YA debut, adult author Seamon balances the grim reality of teenagers with terminal cancer with the fact that, cancer or not, they’re still teens. 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. Agent: Gail Hochman, Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents.