The Grownup

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn is a twisted tale featuring a haunted house, a beleaguered family and a grifter who dabbles as both a psychic and a sex worker. The grifter, seeing easy pickings, agrees to help “clean’” the house spiritually but soon realizes that this job requires much more than she can provide. The terrified mother believes a malevolent presence has taken control of her stepson and that they are all in danger.

The author builds the suspense to a nice level and then totally turns the story around leaving us not knowing who or what to fear. Is the stepson with his disturbing manner possessed? Or could this be a hoax set up by the stepmom? In guessing where the evil truly comes from, has the grifter met her match and show more will she escape?

Infused with the author’s witty black humor, The Grownup is a fun and dark short story that is intense and squirm inducing. show less

Bueno, esto fue divertido y Gillian Flynn es una maldita genio.

Un cuento corto en el que tomas los tropos del terror y los tuercen para lograr un final perfecto. Cada persona, cada decisión, cada elemento está ahí para volar tu cabeza, y me encanta. Si bien, no es perfecto, se gana una estrella adicional porque maneja el suspenso con un grado de humor que se me hizo muy entretenido e inusual, y con eso ya me tenía en la bolsa.

Flynn es una autora a la que debes seguir y este pequeño cuento lo demuestra.

Super quick, super weird, and super fun. I read this lil' baby book over my lunch break and i thoroughly enjoyed it. Upgraded from giving hand jobs in the back of the psychic/tarot reading/palmistry shop our protagonist becomes an aura interpreter making up stuff about people's "auras." It may not be glamorous but it pays the bills and it's saving her from the carpel tunnel setting in from years of handies. One day a smart, wealthy woman comes in with a real dilemma. The house is haunted, her stepson is acting weird and please oh please would she come look at it and see if she can fix the houses' aura? The story takes some unexpected turns and leaves the reader wondering, where does the evil really lie? A fun read.

In just a few pages, Flynn takes all the tropes of the classic ghost story and subverts them. She gives us a terrific narrator who could certainly carry a full-length novel; a weird and creepy house; a weird and creepy kid; a heavy dose of unreliability; a nifty twist; and an ambiguous ending. I enjoyed it! This story could easily have been expanded--I would have eaten it right up.

Originally published as "What Do You Do" in the anthology Rogues.

"I didn't stop giving hand jobs because I wasn't good at it."

From the first line this short story will grab your attention and then leave you thinking about it for much longer than it takes to read it.

The main character has to stop giving hand jobs for health reasons so she makes the jump to reading auras. Here she meets Susan who is struggling in her home that seems to have a dark presence (or just a sociopathic stepson). The ending is clever and will leave you wondering (and ready to chat about) what in the heck just happened.

Another memorable line:

"To me, it's a nice day's work when you make a lot of people smile. I know that sounds too earnest, but it's true. I mean, I would rather be a librarian, but I worry about the job show more security. Books may be temporary; dicks are forever."

Update: Jesse read it and said "I legitimately have goosebumps. You were right, best story I've read in a while." YES! He said those words. I am an awesome wife. show less

Well, wasn't this fun.

What a subversive, nasty-ass little piece of work. I'm not going to say anything about it, because I wouldn't want to blow anything, but hot damn, I enjoyed the hell out of this.

All I'll say is, I got to the last line, smiled, then laughed at how much I loved where it ended up.

Oh Gillian.. When I read my first Gillian Flynn novel, I was confused, discombobulated, and frazzled when I finished it. I didn't know if it liked it or hated it. But now I'm 3 Flynn novels in and I love her, love her writing.  I'm hooked. This novella is nothing different. It's Gillian all the way! No disappointment here.  If you're familiar with her endings, then you know how it goes- there is no ending. Read it. You won't be disappointed. I also want to add that I despise advertising for novels that say they are the new "Gone Girl", etc. There is no comparison,  she is one of a kind. Summer reading kick off has begun.