Hollis Seamon

Richie was such a fun character to read. Even though he knew he was dying, he still lived everyday to the fullest. So did Sylvie.

At first, I had thought that this book seemed so much like The Fault In Our Stars. Two teenagers, suffering with cancer fall in love.

But it's not. Because Richie and Sylvie already know they're going to die. That's why they're in the hospice. And yet they fall in love.

My favorite part though, was the ending. Because the author did not tell us whether they die or not. In a way, they're both still alive. And that's a happy ending, isn't it?

Oh and I also loved how the author didn't go into the technical (medical?) details of their illness. I'm glad Richie thought it'd be too boring for us to read, because he was absolutely right.

I picked this book up on a whim, but I'm glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.… (más)

Corporeality by Hollis Seamon
Able Muse Press, 1/31/2013
Paperback, 204 pages
ISBN-13: 9781927409039
http://hollisseamon.com/

Overview
In Corporeality, Hollis Seamon’s latest fiction collection, we meet the cat lady, the professor dealing with a plagiarist while coping with personal hardships, sibling rivalry of the unnaturally cursed kind, the dog that goes beyond everyday dog sense and scent to protect its owners. These are some of the eclectic characters and settings that make Corporeality irresistible and difficult to put down once you’ve started reading. Like her preceding collection Body Work and mystery novel Flesh, this book is a testament to Seamon’s ample gifts as a storyteller.

My Thoughts:
Corporeality by Hollis Seamon is a collection of short stories that follow the state of mind of various quirky and beleaguered characters.
The collection features 10 stories (in my advanced readers copy):
"SUTHY" - a 17 year old and a 15 year old are terminal and in hospice care with SUTHY: "Somebody Up There Hates You" syndrome.
"Annus Mirabilis" - a professor who walked out on teaching to offer Bread and Books from the front porch of her home but troubles follow her there
"Leave It Lie" - garbage men Gary and Echo become heroes when they find two babies in a garbage bag and rush them to the hospital.
"Fatty Lumpkin vs. The Reaper: Rounds One, Two and Three" - an old, fat, blind, but very intuitive terrier protects his owner from the grim reaper
"Gigantina" - three sisters, one strangely deformed, experience sibling rivalry
"The Plagiarist" - a professor deals with an obvious case of plagiarism while experiencing her own personal problems
"Like a Virus" - A woman with agoraphobia meets a paranoid neighbor
"The Trojan Cat: A Drama in Three Acts" - a woman rescues her first cat, which leads to another, and another
"Praise Be to an Afflicting God" - two misfit neighbors and friends suspect that life on their street is changing
"Cabbage Night" - three girls fear their neighbor is killing their mother

This outstanding collection is masterfully written and the characters Seaman astutely creates are unforgettable. Several of the stories evoke raw emotions ranging from fear, anger, terror, and heartbreak. Most of the characters could be anyone you might see, a family you hear about in passing, or the neighbors you wonder about. My favorites were SUTHY, Annus Mirabilis, Leave It Lie, Fatty Lumpkin vs. The Reaper, and The Trojan Cat, but all the stories are certainly worth reading in this notable collection.

Very Highly Recommended - especially for fans of short stories

No quotes since I had an advanced reading copy.

Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Able Muse Press and Netgalley for review purposes.
http://www.netgalley.com/
… (más)

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 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.… (más)

For more reviews, Cover Snark and more, visit A Reader of Fictions.

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 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.… (más)