The GUNCLE
From the bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus and The Editor comes a warm and deeply funny novel about a once-famous sitcom star whose unexpected family tragedy leaves him with his niece and nephew.
Patrick O’Hara has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant — from a safe distance. His Palm Springs home and reclusive lifestyle aren’t exactly welcoming to children. But when tragedy strikes, Patrick finds himself suddenly taking on the role of primary guardian.
Patrick has no idea what to expect, having spent years barely holding on after the loss of his own great love and managing a stalled career. He regrets his decision to take them in, until he starts to recognize that his outsize lifestyle and unusual life wisdom could bring about a season of healing that redefines their understanding of family, and finally lead Patrick back to himself.
WINNER of the Thurber Prize for American Humor
USA Today Bestseller
Wall Street Journal Bestseller
A Library Reads Pick
A PEOPLE Magazine Best Book of the Week
A Washington Post Feel Good Book for Summer
One of NPR’s Books We Love 2021
A Goodreads Choice Award Finalist
“A joyous Auntie Mame spritz! A reading pleasure; pour yourself a tall glass and enjoy, preferably poolside. You deserve it!”
“Genuinely THRILLING... a novel with real depth beneath its witty froth.”
“Comedic dialogue that would make Neil Simon jealous... gives way to a warmth that will make readers smile.”
“A laugh-out-loud heartwarmer.”
“Will take your heart by storm... This book deserves an Oscar.”
“Patrick, the hero of Steven Rowley’s effervescent, utterly charming, and affecting novel, is the dearest friend you haven’t met yet. You’ll root for his two adorable charges as they navigate a terrible loss, and for Patrick’s own heart to make a long-overdue comeback. A cleverly subversive story about what makes a family.”
“The Guncle is super funny, charming, and tender. Love, loss, and Palm Springs are the perfect ingredients for a delightful cocktail.”
“Steven Rowley has triumphed again with his new novel The Guncle, an exuberant but tender story about life, death, family, and love. Rowley’s protagonist is a modern-day Auntie Mame with every bit of that unflappable flapper’s sharp wit and fabulous wisdom. This book is a dazzling banquet of laughter and insight; with it Rowley has proven himself to be one of the great comic novelists of our time.”
“Patrick is a famous bon vivant, caftan-wearing gay uncle with a fabulous house in Palm Springs. He’s an unlikely family member to help his niece and nephew work through their feelings of raw grief after their mother dies, but it turns out he’s exactly who the kids need—just as he needs them to help him address his own, less recent loss. Steven Rowley’s assured and moving page-turner is studded with laugh-out-loud humor and moments of profound feeling and insight. This book hit every note on my emotional register, and I savored it like an Aperol drunk poolside with friends on a hot, desert day.”
“Delightful, sharp, and very funny, The Guncle is the cocktail equivalent of the fourth sip of your martini while you sit poolside at sunset. I loved lingering in this world (and loved reading the dialogue out loud). A novel as much about family and friendship as it is about style and sass, it’s a divine mix of Terms of Endearment and The Birdcage.”