Rowley:The Guncle

National bestseller • Wall Street Journal bestseller • USA Today bestseller

An NPR Book of the Year

Semi-finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor

Finalist for the 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards

From the bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus and The Editor comes a warm and deeply funny novel about a once-famous gay sitcom star whose unexpected family tragedy leaves him with his niece and nephew for the summer.

Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP, for short), has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant. That is, he loves spending time with them when they come out to Palm Springs for weeklong visits, or when he heads home to Connecticut for the holidays. So when tragedy strikes and Patrick finds himself suddenly taking on the role of primary guardian, he is, honestly, overwhelmed.

Patrick has no idea what to expect, having spent years barely holding on after the loss of his great love, a somewhat stalled acting career, and a lifestyle not so suited to a six- and a nine-year-old. But when his waggish set of “Guncle Rules” no longer appease Maisie and Grant’s parental void, Patrick’s eyes are opened to a new sense of responsibility, and the realization that, sometimes, even being larger than life means you’re unfailingly human.

Steven Rowley is the author of The Guncle, The Editor, and the national bestseller Lily and the Octopus, which has been translated into twenty languages. He has worked as a freelance writer, newspaper columnist, and screenwriter. Originally from Portland, Maine,.