“Can grief and gratitude coexist? Could he miss the kids’ mother and also be grateful for his time with Maisie and Grant? Or did the gratitude just make him miss Sara more and wish she was the one on this train with him instead of her sleeping kids? And in helping them these past few years with their grief, had he once again neglected his own?”
GUP is back and this time, he's going international. Yes, it's the sequel to the much-loved The Guncle that just hit shelves this year. In this sequel, taking place five years after the original, Patrick's brother Greg announces that he will be getting remarried in Italy. His children Maisie and Grant, now 14 and 11, spend time with Patrick in Europe before the big day, where Patrick learns quickly that the children are not in favour of their father remarrying. It's been 5 years since their mother, Patrick's best friend, Sara passed away, and even though years have gone by, grief is still very prominent in all their lives. Plus, this guncle (gay uncle) is not ready to meet the children's new launt (lesbian aunt) without bit of jealously getting in the way.
Once again, Steven Rowley perfectly combines humour and wit with grief and sorrow. There is the obvious grief of the children missing their mother and not wanting to see her replaced, as well as some of the other moments of grief we may experience, such as Patrick's most recent relationship ending. Rowley writes grief in such an honest way, from many different perspectives that readers cannot help but be touched by his words. Patrick vows to teach the children about love before the wedding as they travel through Europe before landing in Italy, and this is also done in a somewhat unconventional, and classically "guncle" way. Instead of Guncle Rules, it's time for Guncle Love Languages, which he names after songs. For example, "Silent All These Years" - which Patrick later references when discussing Livia, Greg's fiancee - silently enduring the children's silence against her because she loves Greg and wants to be part of their family.
The charm and banter in this novel is spot on, continuing on from the first novel. Patrick, Maisie and Grant, though all five years older, don't miss a beat and have some of my favourite conversations in the novel, especially when the children take everything Patrick and his never-ending sarcasm says literally:
"We probably shouldn't stay here, in all honesty, as it was bought by the sultan of Brunei. It's illegal to be gay in Brunei. Damn the Bruneians for ruining all the best hotels. Well, not ruining them, ruining them, look at this place, it's gorgeous. Just morally ruining them. They could probably take away my gay card simply for staying here."
"You have a card?" Grant asked. "Like Costco?"
"Costco? Bite your tongue."
"They could take it away? Who's they?" Maisie wondered, looking around as it they might be jumped by the team from Queer Eye.
Rowley's humour balances out the heavy moments beautifully, making this series a thoroughly enjoyable read. Once you've read the original, be sure to check out the sequel, The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley today!
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