Julie's Review: The Gunkle

Author: Steven Rowley
Series: None
Publication Date:  May 25, 2021
Publisher: Putnam
Pages: 336
Obtained: publisher via NetGalley
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: Heartfelt and funny
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Summary: 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, overwhelmed. 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 acting 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. ~amazon.com

Review: You know how you never knew you needed a book until you read it? This was my experience with The Guncle. It is funny, poigant and has a ton of heart. I laughed and teared up. It is a book about healing and learning to live again.

Patrick is the fun Uncle for his niece and nephew from his brother and his best friend but when their mother dies and he finds out his brother has an addiction issue, he's thrown into being a surrogate father for 90 days. He's not fully equipt to step into the role but he doesn't really have much of a choice. He comes up with these rules that Maisie and Grant are supposed to understand but really they are more about himself, after all they are just kids.  These kids give him a run for his money but when he starts to understand what they might really need, he starts to be the person that they need at this time. 

This is also a period of Patrick coming to terms with his own heartbreak, depression and lagging career. He's shut himself off in Palm Springs to most of the world and it's really done him no good. Being with Maisie and Grant allows him to realize this and decide to start to live again. 

There is a great cast of characters in the book as well that help Patrick and the kids move along in their heartache. I think my favorite is JED and I'll just leave it at that because you need to read the book to get a good laugh at this one. 

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