Patrick has just finished playing a long major role in a well-known TV sitcom. (I kept picturing something like Friends.) But now he has escaped to live a private life, surrounded by sunshine and swimming pools in Palm Springs.
His life becomes totally changed when his sister-in-law, also a good friend, dies. Patrick's brother, going into rehab, asks him to take care of nine-year-old Maisie and six-year-old Grant for the summer. Suddenly Patrick's lifestyle must totally change. (The kids call Patrick their Guncle, their abbreviation for "gay uncle" thus explaining the title)
However, his sense of humor and zest for life do not change, and it was fun to read about his efforts to understand and to comfort these two very sad children.
But the book has much more than cute children, witty dialogue, and a warm sunny setting. The adult relationships mostly seemed true, as they also dealt with grief and responsibility. The family love, on many levels, was meaningful, and by the end, both the kids, their dad, and their uncle, have made satisfying adjustments to the loss of a loved one.
I thought this book was very amusing and easy to read, but was also touching and thought-provoking.
“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.”
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