A review by earth_to_mars
The Guncle by Steven Rowley

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The Guncle was interesting to me. I'm still reeling from one of the worst books I've read this year (maybe ever), so maybe I'm biased, but whatever. I had fun! 

The Guncle is about Patrick O'Hara, a washed up celebrity sit-com actor who has to take care of his six-year-old nephew (Grant) and nine-year-old niece (Maisie) after the death of their mother and his best friend, Sara. Why? Because their father (his brother), Greg, self admitted to rehab for the summer. 

When I started reading this I got heavy BoJack Horseman vibes, specifically the first season. The themes and overall mood is trying to strike a balance between funny and sad, grief and humor. And that's not a bad thing. There were parts where I cringed, parts where I laughed, parts where I teared up. It was enjoyable.

The characters are endearing, the kid's aren't annoying (just regular kid annoying, but in a way that doesn't impede on the reading) and Patrick's realization that he is isolating himself because he refuses to grieve his past lover, Joe, is a really strong character arc. The Guncle's version of The Telescope (the episode of BoJack Horseman that was a turning point from typical adult comedy to something more serious) comes in Chapter Twenty, when
Patrick rereads a letter to Joe he wrote in therapy after his death
. 

This was the emotional shift that really solidified the four star rating for me. I also enjoyed the scenes with Patrick and his sister Clara. It's messy, it's hard. But it's realistic. Where both have issues with one another, valid criticisms and complaints between the two (other complaints not so much or not their fault), but at the end of their fight, they still manage to come together. I also love the flashbacks with Sara. We get to know her without her being there, she's more than just a mother, a wife, a friend. The person she was lives with Patrick, with Greg, with the kids. And it's heartwarming.

I loved watching Patrick's walls come down with the kids, it's humbling and honestly, nice to watch unfold.

Overall, it's lighthearted, yet heartfelt. It's a story of a broken family, all of them grieving their relationships in different ways, where they come together and slowly start their path of healing together, that's definitely worth the read.
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