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A review by okevamae
The Guncle by Steven Rowley
5.0
This book is so cute, guys. SO CUTE.
Patrick is a semi-reclusive former TV star living in Palm Springs who goes home for the funeral of his sister-in-law (and best friend). As soon as he arrives, his brother tells him a troubling secret he has been keeping – he's an addict, and he needs to go to rehab. And he wants Patrick to take care of his two kids while he’s there. Patrick, a commitment-phobe, is reluctant but agrees to take nine-year-old Maisie and six-year-old Grant for the summer. He finds the kids (who call him GUP, short for Gay Uncle Patrick) a little bit bewildering – they have so many questions! They don’t watch TV, only YouTube! And since when is “guncle” even a word?
This book has just the right amount of sweet family feelings to make it endearing without getting overly saccharine. It’s also funny, with Patrick’s sass and pop cultural references butting up against the obliviousness and innate funniness of children. The kids in this book are portrayed very realistically – they sound and act like kids, not like overly precocious small adults. And while the book is sweet and amusing, it also provides a touching exploration of grief. Patrick helps guide the kids through their grief and confusion, while they in turn help him heal from the still-raw grief of losing his partner years earlier. It also touches on the complexity of sibling relationships in a very realistic way, exposing the enduring love that can exist between adult siblings even though there may be tension stemming from old wounds.
The Guncle is sweet and tear-jerking and hilarious and just lovely. Highly recommended.
(I received an ARC of this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. )
Patrick is a semi-reclusive former TV star living in Palm Springs who goes home for the funeral of his sister-in-law (and best friend). As soon as he arrives, his brother tells him a troubling secret he has been keeping – he's an addict, and he needs to go to rehab. And he wants Patrick to take care of his two kids while he’s there. Patrick, a commitment-phobe, is reluctant but agrees to take nine-year-old Maisie and six-year-old Grant for the summer. He finds the kids (who call him GUP, short for Gay Uncle Patrick) a little bit bewildering – they have so many questions! They don’t watch TV, only YouTube! And since when is “guncle” even a word?
This book has just the right amount of sweet family feelings to make it endearing without getting overly saccharine. It’s also funny, with Patrick’s sass and pop cultural references butting up against the obliviousness and innate funniness of children. The kids in this book are portrayed very realistically – they sound and act like kids, not like overly precocious small adults. And while the book is sweet and amusing, it also provides a touching exploration of grief. Patrick helps guide the kids through their grief and confusion, while they in turn help him heal from the still-raw grief of losing his partner years earlier. It also touches on the complexity of sibling relationships in a very realistic way, exposing the enduring love that can exist between adult siblings even though there may be tension stemming from old wounds.
The Guncle is sweet and tear-jerking and hilarious and just lovely. Highly recommended.
(I received an ARC of this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. )