Uncle Max cover

Uncle Max

by Chris Kenry

As witty and warm as it is laugh-out-loud funny, "Uncle Max" follows the adventures of a gawky adolescent on the cusp of homosexuality who discovers an unlikely hero in his outrageous, irreverent Uncle Max. Together, this daring duo embarks on a glorious madcap adventure that will change young Dillon's life forever. Fourteen-year-old Dillon is a self-described nerdy band fag in desperate need of a summer reprieve from gym class and torment by the school jock. Alas, that isn't to be -- not after his born-again mother, Lana, stumbles across his stash of empty wine bottles and Sears catalog pages featuring scantily-clad male models. Alarmed at the diabolic evidence of Dillon's drunken, perverted nocturnal hobbies, Lana concludes that Bible Camp is his only hope. But before he can say "hallelujah, " Dillon's salvation materializes -- fabulously shirtless and smoking a French cigarette. Perpetually on the lam, Uncle Max needs a place to hang -- and hide out -- for awhile. Hot on his heels is an entourage that includes his parole officer, Meredith; his sexy mountaineer boyfriend, Serge; and fellow con artist/antiques dealer, Jane Nguyen. Sprung from the proverbial closet, Dillon finds himself under Uncle Max's supervision for the summer, which entails Hitchcock films, Balzac novels, and a crash course in crime as Max and Jane's sidekick. As July gives way to steamy August, and as the cops close in, one thing is certain -- for Dillon, nothing will ever be the same again.

More by Chris Kenry

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?