The Thing About My Uncle
by Peter J. Stavros
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Pub Date Aug 20 2024 | Archive Date Mar 31 2024
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Description
The thing about my uncle was that I hardly knew him. Uncle Theo kept to himself, some would say he was a recluse, and by all accounts, that was how he preferred it. I couldn’t precisely recall when I had seen him last in the flesh. I just had a foggy recollection from when I was little, like a grainy home movie with cracks and skips and frames missing…
Although ten years have passed, Rhett Littlefield has always blamed himself for his father abandoning him and his family. When the troubled fourteen-year-old gets kicked out of school for his latest run-in with the vice principal, his frazzled single mother sends him to the hollers of Eastern Kentucky to stay with his Uncle Theo, a man of few words who leads an isolated existence with his loyal dog, Chekhov.
Resigned to make the best of his situation while still longing for the day when Mama will allow him to return home, Rhett settles into his new life. Rhett barely remembers his uncle, but he’s determined to get to know him. As he does, Rhett discovers that he and Uncle Theo share a connection to the past, one that has altered both their lives, a past that will soon come calling.
The Thing About My Uncle is an engaging and heartwarming coming-of-age story that explores the cost of family secrets, the strength of family bonds, and the importance of reconciling the two in order to move forward.
A Note From the Publisher
Marketing Plan
- Indie Next List & Library Reads Nomination
- National Review Coverage
- Extensive marketing to Booksellers, Librarians, and Book Influencers
- Digital ARCs on Edelweisss, NetGalley & ARC Giveaway.
- Targeted Consumer Email Marketing
- Extensive Social Media Promotion
Key Selling Points:
- Fans of the coming-of-age themes in the novels Joe by Larry Brown and The Body by Stephen King, as well as the feature film, Mud starring Matthew McConaughey will help The Thing About My Uncle find a large, and wide readership of both adults and older teens.
- Readers who like that stories that explore the cost of family secrets and the strength of family bonds, and the importance of reconciling the two in order to move forward will find much to like in The Thing About My Uncle.
- Though this is the author’s debut novel, his short fiction collection, You Don’t Smoke Anymore, won the Etchings Press 2020 Book Prize for a Chapbook of Prose. His stories have also appeared in The Saturday Evening Post.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781643973975 |
| PRICE | $28.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 238 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Lori P, Reviewer
What an entertaining novel!
I was pleased as punch when Winchester, Ky was mentioned once because that's my neck of the woods so to speak.
I liked how Uncle Ted told Rhett that he matters to God. That He already had a plan for each of them. It made my heart feel pretty good
I read this sweet coming of age story in one evening. I was angry with Rhett's so called friends in what they did. I felt that it wasn't fair.
I really loved that this was told from Rhett's point of view. It's my favorite thing and of course the setting of Eastern Kentucky.
I'm not sure how I feel exactly about Sheriff Hank. In some ways I feel that he's sneaky and had a hand in what happened.
The dog's name is intriguing. Who ever heard of a dog name Checkhove Hmmmm. But she was amazing.
5 stars for a job well done. I highly recommend this book.
My thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Jennifer J, Reviewer
I was intrigued by this book's synopsis.
The intrigue kept me hooked and reading.
Theo is a likable charcter who is standoffish but yet intelligent. The reader can follow along on his life and the crime committed against him.
Rhett though, is the star of the book. Told through his eyes, you can see the yearning, the will to try to make sense out of his world, when things have gone bad.
I loved the sense of community, the way that Theo and Rhett relate to each other, both expecting respect and understanding in their unique way.
I really enjoyed the pace of the book, it gently revealed just enough to keep the reader hooked.
It also allowed the reader to fill in some of the gaps that the book did not explain, ie POPS.
Overall a great book about family and community.
Chae S, Reviewer
There’s no such thing as taking a pause when coming across a coming-of-age story like The Thing About My Uncle. It settles on the simplest scenarios, yet effortlessly pokes at the heart of what forces us to forget what living in the moment feels like. The story shows what it is to be in a routine and still be able to breathe and have fun.
Rhett is so easy to love. His inquisitive personality is, I believe, one of his charms, and he’s effortlessly funny! The story makes me giggle from time to time because of how Rhett thinks and probes about his Uncle Theo. It’s wildly amusing as well whenever he places himself in a battle between what he wants to do and what he should not do.
Honestly, reading this story was personal to me. I could not adequately describe the impact this story brought upon me, but it felt like seeing a bit of my younger self and the other person I dreamed to be. I could relate to Rhett in a way that I was a homeschooled student, and it’s refreshing to see a homeschooled student wandering around the world beyond academics.
I did not have the chance to do that during my homeschool years. It felt like the world stopped when I was homeschooled, but that's another story. I could relate to Theo in a way that I dreamed to be like him, to resist injustice. Just like Rhett, Theo’s easy to love.
If there’s one thing I believe best describes them, it’s how they bring out the best in each other. And I guess it’s true that to be loved is to be known. My heart also goes out to Chekhov, which I consider as one of the book’s scene grabbers! This story has a unique way of showing how pivotal it is to be understood, and I am so delighted to have met Rhett, Theo, and Chekhov through this novel.
Thank you, NetGalley & BHC Press, for allowing me to read this ARC!
Publishing Date: August 20, 2024
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