The Guncle by Steven Rowley

 

Did you ever have a favorite relative you would stay with as a child?  I used to spend a week in the summer with my Great Grandpa and Grandma Kile in Indiana and I loved it.  We built some special memories together.

Special memories are built between Patrick and his niece and nephew, Maisie and Grant, when they come to visit him for the summer in Palm Springs.  Maisie and Grant have recently lost their mother to cancer and their father is in rehab.  Gay Uncle Patrick, or Guncle, takes the kids and teaches them his Guncle rules for life.  When Patrick’s sister comes to take the children away, will he be able to keep them for the rest of the summer?  Does he want to?

I came into The Guncle thinking it was just a comedy book.  Patrick is very witty and a fun character, but this book is so much more.  It’s a realistic and thoughtful look at death and loss.  The book flashes back to Patrick’s great love, Joe, who died in a terrible car accident that Patrick survived.  Although they were partners, Joe’s  family didn’t recognize their relationship and wouldn’t allow Patrick to be with him at the end.  Patrick has spent the past years closed down, not allowing himself to move on and live his life.  As he helps the children through their own grief, it allows him to work though his own. 

I loved this book.  It was heart warming and a great unique story.  The writing was smart and funny.

Book Source:  Purchased at Prose and Politics in Washington DC.  Thank-you!