Review: The Guncle

The Guncle by Steven Rowley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just finished this book, and I'm not even going to let myself stew about it. Please read the synopsis to understand what this book was about. Although I felt that the book was really not as funny as it was made to sound in the synopsis, it had its moments of fun and humor.

Most importantly, this was a book of growth, emotions, and having faith in oneself. This was a deeper book than I expected, and it took me a little while to become totally engrossed in it. 

But engrossed I became, and I found that I couldn't put it down.

I'm wondering if anyone else will see that a lot of this book, especially in the first half, seemed to be a parody (not sure if that is the correct word to use) of the book and movie [book:Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade|187060]. I sincerely hope that I am not dreaming of the similarities!

One thing made me a bit confused, though - it was Patrick's age and the fact that he was so stuck on all things 8os. In his 40's wouldn't he had been too young to remember much of the 80['s even if it was looked upon as nostalgia?  I was wondering why so many references to that time period.

Well, I, for one, enjoyed those references as they took me back to a better time in my life.

I recommend this book highly to those looking for more than a 'potato chip read' for the summer. Something deep and with the wrong author a bit depressing.  Thank goodness this was the correct author for this type of book.  I am definitely going to be looking into more books by  Steven Rowley.

*ARC supplied by the publisher, author, and ATTL/EDELWEISS. Thank-you.

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SYNOPSIS: "From the bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus and The Editor comes a warm and deeply funny novel about a once-famous gay sitcom star whose unexpected family tragedy leaves him with his niece and nephew for the summer.

Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP, for short), has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant. That is, he loves spending time with them when they come out to Palm Springs for weeklong visits, or when he heads home to Connecticut for the holidays. But in terms of caretaking and relating to two children, no matter how adorable, Patrick is honestly a bit out of his league.

So when tragedy strikes and Maisie and Grant lose their mother and Patrick’s brother has a health crisis of his own, Patrick finds himself suddenly taking on the role of primary guardian. Despite having a set of “Guncle Rules” ready to go, Patrick has no idea what to expect, having spent years barely holding on after the loss of his great love, a somewhat-stalled career, and a lifestyle not-so-suited to a six- and a nine-year-old. Quickly realizing that parenting—even if temporary—isn’t solved with treats and jokes, Patrick’s eyes are opened to a new sense of responsibility, and the realization that, sometimes, even being larger than life means you’re unfailingly human.

With the humor and heart we’ve come to expect from bestselling author Steven Rowley, The Guncle is a moving tribute to the power of love, patience, and family in even the most trying of times."