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The Guncle (The Guncle, #1)
by

Steven Rowley (Goodreads Author)

Blaine's review

Jan 06, 2022

really liked it

bookshelves: 2022, e-book

“I'm sorry, I hate to be a pest,” Patrick started.

“Don't listen to him," Maisie interjected. “He loves to be a pest.”

Patrick kicked Maisie under the table, but he also couldn't help but be impressed. If he sent these kids back to Connecticut with enough snappy comebacks to populate a screwball comedy, the summer would not be a waste.

Patrick is a 40-something, former sitcom star who slowly retreated from life after the death of his partner and the end of his TV show. But when his best friend/sister-in-law passes away, Guncle Patrick agrees to take his 9-year-old niece Maisie and 6-year-old nephew Grant into his Palm Springs home for the summer. It’s a setup so simple yet rich with possibilities I’m surprised it hasn’t already been the plot of a movie or TV show.

The Guncle is as warm and funny as advertised. Patrick is an over-the-top personality, a bit like Jack from the show Will and Grace, very funny and snarky. There’s a lot of fish out of water comedy early in the story as Patrick tries to navigate the new responsibility of caring for his niece and nephew. But there’s more emotional depth as the story progresses. The three main characters are all dealing with death and grief, and helping his niece and nephew causes Patrick to begin to re-evaluate the life he’s been living, or not really living.

The Guncle reminded me quite a bit of the novel Less. Both are very funny, sweet books that revolve around a single gay man thrust into an unexpected adventure that causes him to take stock of his life. But the family dynamics and drama, and the subtle examination of being gay in America, really adds something here. Recommended, especially the audiobook, which was very well performed by the author.

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Quotes Blaine Liked

“Grief orbits the heart. Some days the circle is greater. Those are the good days. You have room to move and dance and breathe. Some days the circle is tighter. Those are the hard ones.”
― Steven Rowley, The Guncle

83 likes

“The books were easy to restack, but he pulled a few titles to donate, anyhow. Books should be an experience, he thought, not a trophy for having read them.”
― Steven Rowley, The Guncle

22 likes

“It feels sometimes like Joe, whom I loved very much, is being erased. He’s just a smudge now on a chalkboard, smeared in an effort to get rid of him to make way for something new. And I hate that.”
― Steven Rowley, The Guncle

1 likes

“You can’t spell nemesis without me, sis.”
― Steven Rowley, The Guncle

11 likes

“I love you, he said silently in his head, to himself, to the kids, to Joe, to Sara, to no one. To everyone.”
― Steven Rowley, The Guncle

6 likes

“I used to be scared of anger, and that's because I bottled it up inside. Not anymore! It's like vomiting after drinking too much. Sure, it's unpleasant in the moment, but then you feel so much better! Anger is beautiful if you express it just right. Let it out.”
― Steven Rowley, The Guncle

5 likes