Dennis's Reviews > The Guncle

Can a book be a coming of age story if the main character is already grown up? Steven Rowley's upcoming dramedy novel, The Guncle is infectiously adorable. The story is centered around Patrick, a famous actor from a long running television show. He is able to live his private life in Palm Springs, living off the show's residuals and success. Living freely and doing whatever he wants, Patrick suddenly gets thrown into temporary guardianship when his brother's wife (and his best friend) dies of cancer. Patrick's life immediately changes when he brings his niece Maisie and his nephew Grant home with him for the summer.

Patrick's self indulgent, Peter Pan like mentality must immediately pivot for the sake of the kids, and what we get is a roller coaster of hilarity. At times cringeworthy cute, this book will warm even the coldest of hearts. I can literally picture a friend or two of mine having the same internal dilemma that Patrick faces in this book, and I thoroughly enjoyed the laughs. This book is not all comedy, we are navigated a new frontier for someone who is ill-equipped to handle children. This book does dive into serious subjects, and isn't afraid to talk about grief, sexuality, romance, marriage, and family. I had a fun time with this one and really can picture it being a television series or movie.