The Guncle by Stephen Rowley is a fun, slightly over-the-top take on family, grief and the “coming of age” novel, as a man begins to navigate his own, somewhat stunted life through the eyes of children. 

Synopsis: Patrick, lovingly known by his niece and nephew as GUP, is not ready to be single parent, even if it’s just for the summer. For the past few years, he’s been self-isolating, remaining distant and not getting involved unless he has to. But when his family collapses around him and grief overtakes them all, he has no choice but to pick up the pieces. So what will this summer with his family teach him? Well, succinctly, more than he ever imagined. (TW: death, grief, addiction, homophobia) 

I wasn’t sold on this one in the first few chapters and I actually found the prologue chapter a bit off putting because it’s a bit “in media res” for my tastes BUT I’m so glad I stuck with it, because it was a really heartwarming story and I enjoyed reading it. I think in places it tried a little too hard to be funny and relevant to pop culture, but overall, it adds to the storyline, since Patrick is essentially an reclusive Hollywood star. 

There’s a lot of grief to deal with in this one, both in the present and past of the book, so it’s not a totally light-hearted read despite the cover. There are two particularly heart-wrenching moments that had tears coming to my eyes at the idea of them. But at its core, I think it would be a good summer/beach read!  

This one is out in May and I think if you’re already a Stephen Rowley fan or like a slightly heavier beach read, you’ll enjoy this one!