The Guncle by Steven Rowley

Gay Uncle Patrick, aka the Guncle or GUP, has been asked to look after his niece and nephew, Maisie and Grant, after the sad death of their mother (GUP’s best friend from his College days). His brother, the father of Maisie and Grant, has wisely (or possibly unwisely) decided that Patrick is the best option to care for his children while he seeks rehab for an addiction. Patrick is an out-of-work actor whose career on a much-loved series made him famous a number of years ago; he even won a Golden Globe award. His own grief in the loss of his partner after a car accident has left him hollow and he lives an isolated life in Palm Springs – a gay man, with a quirky view of life and an unconventional perspective on many things. The arrival of the children throws a left-field twist to his life. They are grieving (but so is he), and GUP must protect them and support them, but he does it with Oscar Wilde truisms and Gay Uncle Patrick rules that are eccentric, yet filled with an amazing tender wisdom. His almost accidental success at being ‘in loco parentis’ leads Maisie and Grant through the difficulties of grief.

This is a charming story filled with compassion and LGBTIQ flavour, with insights into the life of a caftan-wearing TV star battling his own personal griefs. The eccentric humour of the gay man totally out of his depth as a ‘replacement’ parent is charming and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. All the decisions he makes in caring for the winsome Maisie and lisping Grant would never be recommended by parenting or grief experts, but the children receive his care and wisdom at just the right time. Ultimately, the children and Patrick are given time to rediscover a healthy way to grieve and remember.  Along the route of this story there are numerous examples of portmanteau wordplay – beyond brunch, there is lupper; his LGBTIQ neighbours are in a throuple; and alongside Patrick’s quotations from numerous films or plays there is a theatrical treatment of language that is entertaining. This book is an adult book with heart, but not really recommended for a school library.

Themes: LGBTIQ+, Family, Grief, Tragedy, Humour, Action, Addiction.

Carolyn Hull