Patrick has had two loves in his life – his boyfriend Joe and his best friend Sarah. A few years ago, a car crash ripped Joe from him, and left Patrick injured both physically and emotionally as he grappled with the shunning from Joe’s family. Patrick withdrew from the world, leaving Hollywood and his friends behind. Sarah was there to pick up the pieces though, flying from NYC to California to support him as he grieved. Now Patrick is the one flying across the country to support his brother’s family as they come to terms with their own loss after cancer took Sarah. No matter how he tries to keep the world at arms length these days, he just can’t help but love Sarah’s kids the way she loved him, and is opening up to them in ways he never expected. The chaos and charm of his world will make you love The Guncle, too!
Steven Rowley was a bestselling author before the release of The Guncle in 2021, but this book made him a household name for a broader audience. Nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction that year, this book grapples with the long reaching tentacles of grief and sorrow and the differences between their effects on adults and children. This is a story about the family we choose for ourselves, and about giving grace to those around us in their hardest moments.
I give The Guncle 4 out of 5 stars. This is a book that had me both laughing hysterically and crying at different moments. I love the characters in the book, but felt like the story may be missing some backstory or a few more details for some scenes. It’s as if there are so many quick little scenes throughout the book without a fully fleshed out plan – too much chaos and not enough narrative. With that said, I really liked this book! I appreciate the way in which the children referred to Patrick as gay like it was just a descriptor, not a label. I also appreciate the way Patrick worked to normalize things for the children throughout the summer – new toys, routines, getting outside, etc. I do wish the author had provided a little more backstory for Patrick’s brother and sister – they were driving forces in the plot, but yet I didn’t feel like I got to know them the way I should have.
If you are a fan of TV’s Will and Grace, you’ll love this book. With references to drug abuse, alcoholism, and other taboo topics, it may be best directed to audiences over 13. I do think this would be a great bookclub or girlfriend read – there’ so much to unpack in all these relationships! I would also venture to say that if you like Kevin Kwan’s writing in the Crazy Rich Asian series, you’ll appreciate Rowley’s here – not so much opulence, but the absurdity and the fun abound.
I chose The Guncle for the Read With Lindsey Reading Challenge prompt “by an LGBTQ+ author”. I have had this one on the shelf for quite a while, but had been avoiding it – when the general public really enjoy a book, I often do not, and was afraid that would be the case here, but I really liked it! Rowley’s husband is a playwright and a reknown author of his own making through his novel A Star is Bored. Rowley’s other works include the just released The Guncle Abroad and Lily and the Octopus. All of his works are currently in development for the screen!
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: The Last Slave Ship, Ben Raines
- Current audio book: Enemy Woman, Paulette Jiles
- Book I’m most looking forward to: Call Upon the Water, Stella Tillyard
Read With Lindsey 