The Guncle

By: Steven Rowley

Narrated by: Steven Rowley

Winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor

National Bestseller • Wall Street Journal Bestseller • USA Today Bestseller

An NPR Book of the Year

Finalist for the 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards

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.

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.

With the humor and heart we've come to expect from bestselling author Steven Rowley, The Guncle is a moving tribute to the power of love, patience, and family in even the most trying of times.

©2020 Steven Rowley (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

One of:

Oprah Daily's Best Beach Reads to Help You Escape

Washington Post’s Feel-Good Books to Brighten Your Summer

CBS' 12 Perfect Summer Beach Reads for 2021

Vogue's 12 Beach Reads to Get Lost in This Summer

Real Simple’s Blockbuster Beach Reads

Country Living’s 32 Can’t-Miss Beach Reads for This Summer

Southern Living’s Beach Reads Perfect for Summer 2021

Bustle's 40 Best New Books to Read This May

E! News' 18 Best Books to Check Out in May

PopSugar’s 45 Best Summer Reads of 2021

USA Today’s 5 Books Not to Miss

CNN’s 20 Books That Are Essential Reading This Pride Month

Reader's Digest's 75 Best Summer Reads of All Time

Parade’s 15 New LGBTQ+ Books to Pick Up This Summer

New York Post’s 30 Best Books on Our Summer Reading List

iHeart Radio’s 15 Best Beach Reads for Summer 2021

Christian Science Monitor's Best Books of May

PureWow’s 10 Books We Can’t Wait to Read in May

Travel & Leisure's Most Anticipated Books of Summer

Women.com's Most Anticipated Summer Beach Reads

SheKnows’ 20 New Books You Need to Add to Your Summer Reading List

Scary Mommy’s Most Anticipated Books of Summer

Frolic's 25 Best Books of Spring 2021

Brit + Co’s 17 Beach Reads That Make the Perfect Summer Escape

NewNowNext's 17 Exciting Queer Books to Savor This Summer

Bibliolifestyle's Quintessential Summer 2021 Beach Reads

LAMBDA Literary's Most Anticipated LGBTQ Literature of May

Washington Post’s 12 Titles to Get You to the End of Summer

CNN.com’s Essential Reading for Pride Month

“Rowley delivers the perfect summer read: The Guncle is relentlessly witty, sweet and heartbreaking.” (Elin Hilderbrand)

“Patrick is a memorable character, and it’s genuinely thrilling to read screenwriter-turned-novelist Rowley’s take on the mechanics of stardom.... There’s true insight here into the psychology of gay men, Hollywood, and parenting. A novel with some real depth beneath all its witty froth.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“In his heartwarming, humorous new novel, Steven Rowley shows readers the true meaning of family, reminding us that everyone—even parents—is only human.” (Travel & Leisure)

You WILL enjoy this book!

I LOVED this book! Seriously. Loved. Not in a “oooh, that was gooood” kind of way but in a “so good, so funny, and full of love” kind of way. I rarely re-read books but can see myself listening to this one over and over (narration is great!). This book is heartwarming, laugh out loud funny, visual, refreshing, and soooo positive. As someone who loves to question things and color outside the boundaries, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. There are moments of pure bliss throughout the story, typically aligned or associated with the many Guncle rules that everyone should know. In fact, I wish there was a list of all the Guncle rules at the end for personal reference. While typically all fun and games, there are many embedded life lessons and truths often forgotten in adulthood. If you need a pick-me-up, heartwarming without being cheesy, or just fun read, I highly recommend this book. You won’t regret it.
Also, this was already picked up to become a movie - I cannot wait & hope the movie is just as awesome as the book. Fingers-crossed Daniel Levy plays GUP!!

Cute and simple

Read this one in a book club and liked it okay. Nothing about it really stood out to me but it was a nice story with likeable characters.

Funny and poignant

I’m so glad I listened to this book rather than read it. The author brings the characters to life through his narration. As the flamboyant gay uncle of two children who recently lost their mother he is both hilarious and deep. During their summer together, they share fun adventures and profound reflections of grief. Ultimately they help each other through a difficult time. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I loved this story

Rowley must be writing his autobiography and though I usually HATE an author reading their own work, only he could imbue these characters with their own distinct personalities and “voice”. This book has laugh out loud qualities and that’s just what I needed. Bravo Steven

I wasn’t sure I would like it.

It took me a bit to get into it. But wow, it was great and very enjoyable. The story and the narrator were equally as entertaining. Worth the credit and then some!

Wonderful

I loved every second of this story. This story was beautifully written and you can feel he sadness and happiness GUP has. I loved that Steven Rowley was the narrator too, you can tell how proud he is of this book. Give it a try you’ll love it too!

Worth a repeat listen

What a great story! It's always extra enjoyable when the author reads his own work!

Truly lovable

I really enjoyed this story! Great character development, fabulous narration, and a story that was sentimental and hilarious. I highly recommend.

I want a Guncle

Everyone in my book club now wishes they had a guncle. The book was little slow but I enjoyed it overall and would recommend it.

BRAVO!!

Excellent narration, I couldn't put it down. Very engaging and heart warming story. we all need a Guncle to help us find our way in this world.