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A review by okiecozyreader
The Guncle by Steven Rowley
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I felt like everyone had already read The Guncle, but it’s on four of my bookclub lists for the summer - my local bookclub, The Gloss (plus local), The Girlfriend (on Facebook) and another Facebook group. I can see why, though. It’s charming with the cutest uncle-niece-nephew banter that is simply fun.
Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP), as called by his niece Maisie and nephew Grant, is asked by his brother to keep his children for a summer, while he goes to rehab, after his wife’s death from cancer. Patrick has been a celebrity, from a famous TV show, but after he left the show, he retreated to Palm Springs, where he hasn’t done much, for the past few years, since he was in an automobile crash with his boyfriend. His niece and nephew know or remember little of their visits to Palm Springs, so he reacquaints them with swimming, caftans, brunch, lupper, and a list of Guncle rules for life.
This book just kept me smiling along, and I enjoyed my little trip back to Palm Springs, as well as the messages of hope, healing and moving forward past difficult things.
“You have no idea the questions I’m fielding… What was the last day I was a child?”… “what was the last day you were a child?”
“Wouldn’t it be nice to go back though? To relive that day? One last perfect day of being completely safe. Creative. Free.” P77-78
“People who love each other fight. The opposite of love isn’t anger. It’s indifference. When people stop fighting, that’s when you should be worried.” P179
“Guncle Rule number eight: Live your life to the fullest every single day, because every day is a gift. That’s why people die. To teach us the importance of living”
“… need you to remember something. We’ll call it Guncle Rule sweet sixteen: I want you to really live. To live is the rarest of things. Most people merely exist.”
“Final Guncle Rule. There are two tragedies in life: one is not getting what you want, the other is getting it.”
“But he wasn’t living, he was hiding. From people. From friends. From family. From love. From work. From art. From contributing. From everything that mattered.”
“The sky is not going to fall. That’s what I’m telling you. The pain you feel, the disaster you think is imminent. Those feelings fade. And some days you even miss it. Some days you miss the pain, because you’re afraid. Afraid that as the pain softens so do memories of the one you lost.”
The only thing I didn’t really like was the use of g*d* throughout. Wish I could unsee it.
Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP), as called by his niece Maisie and nephew Grant, is asked by his brother to keep his children for a summer, while he goes to rehab, after his wife’s death from cancer. Patrick has been a celebrity, from a famous TV show, but after he left the show, he retreated to Palm Springs, where he hasn’t done much, for the past few years, since he was in an automobile crash with his boyfriend. His niece and nephew know or remember little of their visits to Palm Springs, so he reacquaints them with swimming, caftans, brunch, lupper, and a list of Guncle rules for life.
This book just kept me smiling along, and I enjoyed my little trip back to Palm Springs, as well as the messages of hope, healing and moving forward past difficult things.
“You have no idea the questions I’m fielding… What was the last day I was a child?”… “what was the last day you were a child?”
“Wouldn’t it be nice to go back though? To relive that day? One last perfect day of being completely safe. Creative. Free.” P77-78
“People who love each other fight. The opposite of love isn’t anger. It’s indifference. When people stop fighting, that’s when you should be worried.” P179
“Guncle Rule number eight: Live your life to the fullest every single day, because every day is a gift. That’s why people die. To teach us the importance of living”
“… need you to remember something. We’ll call it Guncle Rule sweet sixteen: I want you to really live. To live is the rarest of things. Most people merely exist.”
“Final Guncle Rule. There are two tragedies in life: one is not getting what you want, the other is getting it.”
“But he wasn’t living, he was hiding. From people. From friends. From family. From love. From work. From art. From contributing. From everything that mattered.”
“The sky is not going to fall. That’s what I’m telling you. The pain you feel, the disaster you think is imminent. Those feelings fade. And some days you even miss it. Some days you miss the pain, because you’re afraid. Afraid that as the pain softens so do memories of the one you lost.”
The only thing I didn’t really like was the use of g*d* throughout. Wish I could unsee it.