Devi Nair

🎧 Listened in audio 📢 Narrated by Steven Rowley ⏱ Duration: 11 hours 🏷️ Publisher: Penguin Audio / G.P. Putnam’s Sons (Recommended by my book club!)

I laughed, I cried, and I paused the audiobook just to sit in my feelings more times than I can count. The Guncle is that rare novel that sneaks up on you. It’s outrageously funny, soaked in heartache, and ultimately healing in all the best ways. Steven Rowley writes Patrick with such sharp wit and palpable vulnerability that you can’t help wanting to be his friend.

Patrick is an absolute triumph of a character. He is the quintessential gay uncle (sharp-tongued, theatrical, and deeply loving) but he’s also painfully human. His relationship with Maisie and Grant’s mother is the emotional backbone of this story, a bond that feels more sibling than in-law, more soulmate than friend. When she dies after a long illness, Patrick’s grief doesn’t explode. It settles, heavy and unresolved. Caring for her children becomes both an act of love and a new way to grieve, and watching Patrick fumble, fail, and grow is profoundly moving.

Listening to this on audio, narrated by Steven Rowley himself, adds an entirely new layer of intimacy. He knows Patrick. Every pause, every joke, every crack in the voice feels intentional and earned. The story never becomes saccharine or manipulative. It allows space for sorrow, laughter, and healing to coexist. This is a book about redefining family, about choosing to show up even when you feel wildly unqualified, and about how love often finds us when we least expect it.]

Would I recommend it? Absolutely. This is one of the best books I’ve read (or rather, listened to) this year. The Guncle is heartfelt, hilarious, and packed with emotional truth. Add it to your TBR if you love character-driven stories that leave you feeling both cracked open and comforted.

Let’s talk GUPs! Have you ever had a “Guncle” or “fun aunt” in your life who changed how you saw family? Drop your stories and favorite found-family reads in the comments