Steven Rowley is the New York Times bestselling author of four novels: Lily and the Octopus, a Washington Post Notable Book; The Editor, an NPR Best Book of the Year; The Guncle, winner of the twenty-second Thurber Prize for American Humor and Goodreads Choice Awards finalist for Novel of the Year; and The Celebrants, a TODAY Show Read With Jenna book club pick. His fiction has been translated into twenty languages. He resides in Palm Springs, California.

STRONG TRACK TO BUILD ON: Several months ahead of the hardcover publication, people are already buzzing about The Guncle. Steven Rowley's previous novel, The Editor, garnered fantastic praise and has been optioned by mega-producer Greg Berlanti (Love, Simon) for a feature film. His debut, Lily and the Octopus, was a national bestseller and has sold in translation in nineteen languages; has sold more than 100k copies across all formats, and has been optioned by Amazon Studios for film as well.FUN AND BIGHEARTED PREMISE: While there is tragedy woven throughout the novel, The Guncle is ultimately driven by humor and joy, and the deeply moving familial love readers have come to expect from Rowley. It is his most fun novel yet, and appeals to an even wider audience of readers, which we are highlighting with our bright and bold packaging and positioning. INDIE AND LIBRARIAN SUPPORT: Both The Editor and Lily and the Octopus were Indie Next picks. Lily and the Octopus was also a Library Reads pick, and Rowley is beloved after making tremendous strong connections in these two communities.PERFECT FOR BOOK CLUBS: With its laugh-out-loud humor and serious charm, The Guncle is the ideal book for the paperback format. It has an immediate appeal to book clubs, and invites conversation about love, loss, and family.

Winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor
National Bestseller  Wall Street Journal Bestseller  USA Today Bestseller
An NPR Book of the Year
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. But in terms of caretaking and relating to two children, no matter how adorable, Patrick is, honestly, overwhelmed.

So when tragedy strikes and Maisie and Grant lose their mother and Patrick's brother has a health crisis of his own, Patrick finds himself suddenly taking on the role of primary guardian. Despite having a set of "Guncle Rules" ready to go, 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. Quickly realizing that parenting--even if temporary--isn't solved with treats and jokes, 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.

With the humor and heart we've come to expect from bestselling author Steven Rowley, The Guncle is a moving tribute to the power of love, patience, and family in even the most trying of times.