The Guncle by Steven Rowley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“Do not punch a child, do not punch a child.”
“Guncle Rule number five: If a gay man hands you his phone, look only at what he’s showing you. If it’s a photo, don’t swipe. And for god’s sake, don’t open any unfamiliar apps.”
“Boys can do girl things and girls can do boy things. That’s not even a Guncle Rule, there shouldn’t even be boy things and girl things to begin with. People should just do what they want.”
The Guncle is about an actor, who was on a popular show but who has been hiding away in Palm Spring, who loses his best friend/sister-in-law and must take care of her/his brother’s kids. Patrick is the guncle. He lost his partner and is still in the grieving process. Maisie, his niece, and Grant, his nephew, lost their mother (Sara) and subsequently spend the summer with their GUP (Gay Uncle Patrick). Their dad is dealing with his own personal health issue. How will Patrick be able to handle taking care of kids for 3 whole months without going crazy? Will the kids start their grieving process and what will they learn from their GUP? If Patrick moves on with this life, how will he do it?
Steven Rowley wrote such a fun and enjoyable book! I laughed out loud so many times and wanted to devour it. “’We don’t eat bacon…Bacon is pigs and pigs are our friends. Do you want to eat your friends?’ (Patrick) Without hesitation. ‘If they taste like bacon.’” (Grant). I was excited to find out there was a sequel too! The Guncle Rules that permeated the book were perfect. It matched caring, humor, and a gay sensibility all in a simple, helpful rule. For example, when Patrick gave his niece his phone to record him in a video. “’Higher…Honestly, its like you want me to have four chins. Guncle Rule – What number are we on? Know your angles. Everyone has a good side. Even children, who should be photographable from all sides but aren’t.’” There was so much gay culture sprinkled in such a natural way that it would be easy to miss if you weren’t well versed. Right away Grease, Grease 2, Olivia Newton-John, and Stockard Channing were mentioned when GUP was trying to make a point. So much wit. Patrick gave them an ‘edu-gay-tion.” The messaging is something I thought was much needed but not too heavy handed. I found myself agreeing and wishing society as a whole felt the same way. Whatever you like or want, you do you. “What do you think gay people do? Have done for generations? We adopt a safe version of ourselves for the public, for protection, and then as adults we excavate our true selves from the parts we’ve invented to protect us.” Things like this felt true and hit home. It is the story of a lot of gay people. There are conversations around grief and the way the book approached it was nice. It was described well. “Grief orbits the heart. Some days the circle is greater. Those are the good days. You have room to move and dance and breathe. Some days the circle is tighter. Those are the hard ones.” A word that stuck out to me in this book was maudlin. Steven filled this book with so many witticisms. This is exactly the type of book that I will pick up whenever I need a smile and laugh.
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Tag: witty
The Focus Of James And Riding The Mississippi
James by Percival Everett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“But the real source of our rage had to go without address, swallowed, repressed.”
“With my pencil, I wrote myself into being. I wrote myself to here.”
“Dey takes the lies dey want and throws away the truths dat scares ‘em.”
James is the story of Jim from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn but told from his perspective. We follow him through his journey from being separated from his wife and child, traversing the mighty Mississippi, encounters with many helpful people, run ins with people who want to do him harm, and all along his desire to get back to his family fueling his resolve. Throughout this story, Huck Finn is along for the ride, popping in and out of the narrative. It is told in a very rustic, local, and realistic way in the tradition of Mark Twain. Will Jim meet back up with his family or forever be on the run?
Percival Everett wrote a masterpiece here. I could not find one fault with it. The writing style was perfection and he allowed the readers to dive into the story. I felt like I was right there besides James and Huck while they were on the river, running from the white men, or eating catfish that they stole from a trotline. He has a gift with sardonic humor, keen observations, and humanistic writing. Right from the get-go I laughed out loud with “those boys couldn’t sneak up on a blind and deaf man while a band was playing.” You could just picture those boys trying to sneak. The spoken language used throughout added such depth to the narrative. On page 28, throwing in types of irony made me smile as it tickled my linguistic interests and just because I love language. Some words I ran across that I loved were Labyrinthine, Daedalean, perfidy, and sonorous. Page 103 had a great back and forth which was witty and funny. This book had an intellectual side to it as well. There were dreams of Jims, portraying historical figures and discussing equality, slavery, liberties, and whether humans are inherently evil. It added another layer of historical context based on centuries old thoughts of highly regarded writers like Volatire. It highlighted the fact that people who think they are enlightened might not be as much as they/we think. It generated many interesting possible debates. “Was it evil to kill evil?” There are so many topics and discussions I want to showcase here but I should leave things for other readers to discover on their own. The depiction of the horrific nature of slavery was palpable. The imagery that conjured in my brain with scenes describing whippings and the fear while running or hiding was vivid. It was harrowing and that was just me reading about it. Percival showcased the inhumanity it and the struggle of black people. This is exactly the type of book that I would recommend to anyone and everyone. It is quintessential.
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Deny Women At Your Peril And Heartening Succor
The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“We shall be useful. But just as importantly we shall be defiant, occasionally ill-mannered, and completely indomitable.”
The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies is about a mature woman and the adventures she gets herself into. Lady Augusta is not your typical affluent, Regency lady of a certain age as she steps up to butts heads with society and her brother. Her sister, Lady Julia, joins along with her sister’s plans which involve doing good deeds. Another main character is brought in to mix things up as well. There are 3 main capers as you will with another mission that is intertwined throughout. This novel has romance, family, and cultural commentary. It is full of surprises and keeps you on your toes. It takes place in England and mostly around London in the Regency era. This era is not remembered for treating women well and this book addresses that head on. Women rule is this wonderful novel.
This book was an exuberant riot of fun! The sisters are adventurous, witty, and clever. And they do all this in a society that treats women as property without any sort of intelligence or agency of their own. The repartee that occurs frequently reminded me a lot of The Importance of Being Earnest which was another book I loved. The Benevolent Society was a nonstop joyride of escapades. I had a smile on my face while I was reading through many parts. I was rooting so hard for Augusta and Julia. Alison Goodman is a very good author. She writes an engaging book with excellent word use. She harkens back to a different time with her choices of locutions and makes it sound interesting instead of it having a feeling of being bogged down by unknown terms. It also highlights the differences that society at that time decided existed between men and women. I found it fascinating and it angered me all the same. The brother was an ass that needed to be slapped. He was a good antagonist. It represented the times well though which added realism. Alison did something in this book that I love when it occurs in books. It adds in queer or allusions to queer elements in a time where it was not talked about let alone accepted. Characters are introduced that are cool with it and don’t make a big deal out of it which makes my heart glow. In relation to that a character says, “my brother’s narrow idea of Christianity seems to bring more suffering into the world than relief.” This is an amazing way of phrasing it and it applies in this modern world just as much. There were some slight scenes involving low spirits and heartache, but it added to the ups and downs throughout. The dedication in the book sets the tone right off the bat. “This book is dedicated to all the women out there who no longer have the patience or desire to put up with any nonsense.”
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My Favorite Novel Ever And Being Overcome With Emotion
The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I absolutely loved this novel. I cannot think of one that I have loved as much as this one ever, so this might be my favorite novel of all time. I felt this immediate draw to pick it back up every time that I set it down. The Heart’s Invisible Furies is undeniably powerful, funny, and devastating. It is poignant, consuming, and clever. I cannot say enough good words about it. There aren’t enough good words to describe it. I would say that I am speechless but all I want to do is sing all the praises from the highest of the mountains so that everyone can hear. Even before the actual story starts it provides a chuckle but the actual story begins in Ireland in the 1940s with a woman who found herself in an unwed, pregnant situation and was forced to leave her hometown. She meets a guy on the way to Dublin and ends up living with him for a short bit until a tragic and joyous event occurs. The book actually follows her son and provides a detailed account of his life over the next 70 or so years. I have such an affinity for Cyril, the son. I saw myself so deeply in him, I felt such a connection, that it could have been me living that life. The characters were so well developed that I had no trouble identifying or remembering them. The picture was painted with such clarity and detail. I was hooked from the first sentence and it just continued from there. What a first chapter! It sunk its hooks into me quickly and deeply. I also loved how this book was structured. It is an epic tale as it traverses multiple countries and decades. You are immersed in the time and characters as if you were there. John Boyne is one of the best writers I have ever read. I don’t think I have read anything by him thus far, but I cannot wait to see what else is out there. He has this way of hinting and nodding to something but not outright saying it, that makes you feel in on a secret that only the two of you know. His use of context is superb. It is subtle but it fills you with quiet glee. He also has this unbelievable artistry to weave connections throughout, from the first chapter to the last. It is done with such grace and elegance that you don’t see it coming. It comes out of left field but it is so realistic. It is like it was inevitable. I would stop in my tracks and then I would just sigh at how right it felt. There are plenty of moments that left me gobsmacked with my mouth held agape in shock. I had to look around, even if I was alone, wondering who else was flabbergasted by what was on the page. I wanted to discuss in whispers what just occurred. Furies was also a riot. I found myself laughing out loud, so hard. I would even get myself to laugh just thinking about it when I set the book down. There is so much witty repartee. The quips, asides, and comebacks are plentiful that sometimes I could not handle it. My stomach hurt and I had tears from how clever the writing was. For example, “turning to her with all the warmth of Lizzie Borden dropping in to say goodnight to her parents.” There were also plenty of gut-wrenching and devastating moments that left me helpless and in tears as well. I had to stop reading at some points because I couldn’t see the words through my tears. They were dripping down my face. At times I couldn’t breathe because I was overcome with deep anguish. The overpouring of emotions that this novel can evoke in a person are mind-blowing. I have never had such a reaction to the written word that I felt throughout my body, ever in my life. It is the most human book. I smile and laugh, become wistful and melancholy just thinking of the novel still. My inability to convey how breathtaking and powerful this novel was, devastates me. This is my favorite novel ever.
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