Everyone’s favourite Guncle is back for another round.
The Guncle Abroad has arrived—this time it’s international. The much-awaited sequel to Steven Rowley’s 2021 novel The Guncle is as irreverent as the original, following the dramatic yet heartfelt exploits of Patrick O’Hara, ‘Guncle’ (Gay Uncle) to his niece and nephew, Maisie and Grant.
Patrick, affectionately known as Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP) to his young charges, is faced with a challenging summer that takes the trio from California across Europe, plunging them into new territory when it comes to love, loss, family, and acceptance.
Following the death of the children’s mother, and Patrick’s best friend Sara five years prior, Patrick has become a pivotal figure in their young lives. Armed with scathing commentary and witticisms that teach the children about the world around them, Patrick has become a mentor to his captivated audience of two.
Though the novel’s on-trend quips are delightfully current, with references to Duolingo, TikTok, and more that scream 2024, I worry they may age this novel rather quickly. The novel’s grounding in classic musical theatre lore may grant it the longevity it needs, but only time will tell.
As the teen years loom in, Maisie and Grant are no longer adoring young kids they once were. Maisie is 14 and Grant is 11, facing the challenges of adolescence. Adding to their concern is something far scarier—the prospect of a new stepmother. They face Livia, an Italian Marquesa as wealthy as she is cold, as Greg, Patrick’s brother, prepares to remarry.
The Guncle Abroad is a fun foray that isn’t afraid to be silly yet is surprisingly full of tender moments that speak to familial love and loss, as well as issues the LGBTQ+ community faces.
Patrick is staring down his 50th birthday and mourns that he doesn’t quite know how to act as an older gay man due to the devastating impact of the HIV/ AIDS epidemic on the LGBTQ+ community, and the lack of older role models .
Readers see Patrick grappling with his love life whilst mediating the changing lives of the children, his brother’s sobriety, and reflecting on his identity as a gay man and the privileges it grants him. Through conversation with Palmina, Livia’s sister, who’s a lesbian, Patrick becomes aware of the unique perspective his gender affords him within the LGBTQ+ community. He begins to understand that his experience as a man differs significantly.
An eccentric, witty, theatre-loving, actor partial to the finer things in life, Patrick teeters on the verge of stereotype. But he’s saved by a sense of genuine heart, and a depth to his character not entirely visible from the novel’s bubble-gum cover and beach-read title.
Though this buoyant novel may not seem a serious text, or a call to action as we celebrate Pride month, don’t let its levity fool you. While it doesn’t overtly confront the very serious issues the LGBTQ+ community faces, this novel’s strength is in its unabashed joy.
The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom recently published data on book challenges across the United States. They identified 4,240 unique book titles targeted for censorship in public and school libraries in 2023. Among these, 47 per cent represented the voices and experiences of LGBTQ+ and BIPOC individuals.
Books like The Guncle Abroad offer more than just a fleeting cheesy rom-com—they portray the strength and resilience inherent in romantic stories. Through its open expression of familial and romantic relationships, The Guncle Abroad displays the unwavering defiance of LGBTQ+ voices and experiences.
The LGBTQ+ community deserves to experience this type of open joy and acceptance, even in a world where it is sometimes unsafe to do so.
The Guncle Abroad might be the read you need this June. Let its wit and happiness charm you through this Pride month, and the rest of the year with its strength.
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