The following version of this novel was used in the creation of this study guide: Rowley, Steven. The Guncle. G.P Putnam’s Sons. 2021. Paperback.

The novel starts as Patrick asks Maisie and Grant to tell the camera something about their mother, Sara. When they struggle to do so, Patrick tells a grand story of how he met her before asking them to tell him something special about Sara.

Six weeks prior, Patrick flies out to meet with his brother, Greg, after his wife and Patrick’s former best friend, Sara, passed away after a multi-year battle with an unknown illness. Greg reveals he has been struggling with an addiction to pills since Sara’s diagnosis and he wants Patrick to take the kids, Maisie and Grant, while Greg goes to a facility near Patrick’s home in Palm Springs. At first, Patrick refuses, even after speaking to the kids about it. However, things change when Patrick’s sister, Clara, says she will take them instead because she can act as a mother while Patrick cannot provide what they need. Patrick decides to tell them about the Sara that he knew and agrees to take them to Palm Springs.

After a long flight and a difficult first day at Patrick’s house, Patrick cheers them both up by tricking them into being sprayed by his advanced washlet and hopes they will feel at home. He helps Maisie embrace her individuality by telling her that she can wear whatever clothes that she wants. He also orders books and talks with the neighbors about how to handle the children’s grief.

However, things change for Patrick when Cassie Everest arrives at the request of Patrick’s former agent, Neal. She wants him to start acting again, but Patrick does not want to work with Neal after the latter sexually assaulted him. Eventually, when Patrick realizes he needs to work again if he wants to help provide for Sara’s family, he agrees to audition for roles again, but only if Cassie is his manager. While shocked, she excitedly agrees.

As the summer continues, Patrick hosts a Christmas inspired party for the children and to reveal his return to acting. There, he meets Emory, and the two sleep together the same night. However, Clara arrives and says that Patrick does not understand what the kids need. When he disagrees, Clara petitions the court to take them by force, claiming that Patrick’s home is unfit for children. He confronts her and learns that her marriage is falling apart and she is no longer sure of her sexuality. As the two reconnect, Clara rescinds the petition.

The earthquake challenges Patrick when it strikes and one of Patrick's statues injures Grant. Patrick broke down at the hospital, reflecting on when Joe died and his family refused to acknowledge their relationship, denying Patrick the chance to see him. Patrick visits Greg at rehab, terrified that the children will get hurt if they stay with him. However, Greg reveals that he wanted Patrick to help the kids with their grief because Greg knows that Patrick is not over Joe. So, he encourages Patrick to finish out the rest of the summer. Patrick tells the kids about Joe’s death to encourage them that their sadness will not last forever.

Over the next few weeks, Maisie becomes more angry, even claiming to hate Patrick. However, he now recognizes that she is lashing out because of grief, and cheers her and Grant up by ordering a cake for Sara’s birthday. Their relationship is mended by the time Greg arrives, but Patrick refuses to return with them to Connecticut, believing that he wants to be alone.

However, after Greg and the children leave, Patrick is overcome by sadness. Cassie encourages him to talk to some producers for a family sitcom who were inspired by the YouTube videos of Patrick with the kids. After he learns that they are filming in Los Angeles instead of New York like they had said, Patrick hesitates. Emory convinces him to follow his dream of acting in a play instead.

Over the next year, Cassie finds Patrick a play in Connecticut and comes to a compromise with the show runners. For six months of the year, Patrick will film in Los Angeles, while the other half of the year will be in New York. As the novel ends, Patrick prepares to go on stage in front of a packed crowd, Emory, and the rest of his family.