Quick 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.

Publisher’s Synopsis

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. So when tragedy strikes and Patrick finds himself suddenly taking on the role of primary guardian, he is, honestly, overwhelmed.

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. But when his waggish set of “Guncle Rules” no longer appease Maisie and Grant’s parental void, 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.

Book Review

After becoming a bookstagram darling, The Guncle has sat on my shelf for about 2 years. Thankfully, my book club selected it for this month giving me a reason to finally read it.

The Guncle is a contemporary fiction novel chronicling the summer gay uncle Patrick spends with his niece and nephew in Palm Springs after their mother dies.

As I mentioned above, The Guncle received a lot of praise when it was initially published. In fact, it became a super hyped up book, which in turn made me a bit leery to read it. I find that hyped books often lead to disappointment and wait until the fanfare dies down before giving it a read. In the case of The Guncle, I think that was a good call.

I thought that The Guncle‘s plot is slightly predictable but in a comforting way. Reading The Guncle felt a lot like watching a dysfunctional family sitcom, complete with jokes that make you laugh out loud. But it reflected the best kind of comedies in that it was not eye-roll inducing, corny, or super exaggerated.

While I thought The Guncle was a genuinely funny read with delightful characters, the story really centered around grief. Over the course of the book, Patrick is dealing with the death of his partner and of his best friend while the children are confronted with their mother’s death. The feelings of sadness and loss did not transcend the page. I almost felt like the story tip-toed around it at times, which seems contrary to its intention. But this treatment of grief did allow the book to feel like a lighthearted read despite the its serious themes. Still, I did not love it because the way death was processed by the characters. This is really more of a me issue with my lack of connection to books about grief.

The characters in The Guncle were easy to love, regardless if you relate to them. I loved the different personalities of the children. I found a bit of myself in Patrick, with his skepticism caring for children. I can only wish I had this fashion sense and references to the gay canon. Patrick’s neighbors were the cherry-on-top of this idiosyncratic cast.

Overall, I enjoyed The Guncle and thought it was a humorous, sweet book. While the grief plotline did not speak to me, I still recommend it. I am sure many will find this book as charming as I did.

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