THE GUNCLE ABROAD

Gay Uncle Patrick—GUP—is back, helping his niece and nephew deal with their father’s remarriage.

As the author humbly notes in his afterword, the first installment of this series was embraced by readers who fell in love with the character of the aging screen star and his relationship with young Maisie and Grant, whom he was caring for in the wake of their mother’s death and their father’s stint in rehab. Now it’s five years later and the children have a new trauma to face—their father’s wedding to a titled Italian woman, held at Lake Como. The first chapter starts with a bang, as we learn that the nuptials at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo are threatened with cancellation, to the seeming delight of the younger contingent, who remain 100% opposed. Readers who love Rowley for his banter, his classic gay/boomer wisdom (“brunch is awesome”; “I believe it was the great philosopher Steve Winwood who said that finer things keep shining through”), and his tender delineation of the bond between a man and his “niblings” will likely be able to forgive the dull, cringey trip through Europe that proceeds in flashback for the next third of the book, as Patrick introduces his charges to Parisian hot chocolate, Sound of Music lore in Austria, gondolas and gelato in Venice. Once back at Lake Como, things pick up, as Patrick throws himself into a rivalry with the children’s prospective new “launt”—lesbian aunt—Palmina. At the emotional center of the novel are two characters at awkward ages: Maisie at 14, with her smart mouth, loyalty to her mom, problems with her period, and new Prada culottes; and Patrick at 49, who has cut his dear younger partner Emory loose in preparation for his imminent dotage.

Fans of Guncle #1 (now big-screen bound) are most likely to stay on board, so best to start there.