Steven Rowley

The New York Timesbestselling author discusses reconnecting with old characters, balancing humor and heart, and his new release, The Guncle Abroad.

- MICHAEL WOODSON

Steven Rowley's novels are intimately epic-stories about people who are thrown into the deep end of life's defining moments. Where there is love, there is loss, and with it, the unifying power of grief. In a word, Rowley writes about change, and while change is something many of us fear, it's the very place he finds a way to infuse both comedy and sincerity.

"Even though I'm often writing about grief, I try to find the humor in the situation," he says. It's that signature blend of heart and humor that resonates with readers and critics alike. In 2023 alone, Rowley won the 22nd Thurber Prize for American Humor for The Guncle, and his novel The Celebrants was a Read With Jenna book club selection with Jenna Bush Hager, as well as earning a spot on the New York Times bestsellers list. While it was a gratifying and rewarding year, the stakes felt high for his next novel (and his first sequel) to deliver on the laughs.

"Winning the Thurber Prize halfway through writing The Guncle Abroad, I felt an enormous amount of pressure suddenly that the book had to be really funny," he says. "Some days I would think, Oh my God, is the book too funny? Not that I was such a comedic genius, but rather, was I focusing too much on jokes and not enough on the other things that resonated with readers from The Guncle-the heartfelt, emotional moments? I was right back to trying to find that balance that I always do."

In 2021's The Guncle, we meet semi-retired television actor Patrick O'Hara who has temporary custody of his niece Maisie and nephew Grant while his brother, Greg, deals with a health crisis after the death of his wife and Patrick's best friend, Sara. It's a summer spent helping the children explore their grief through witticisms, wisdom, and warmth. For Patrick, not only do the children help him navigate his own immense loss, but they also instill in him that reinvention is not a faraway hope.