The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gillian Flynn is hands down one my favorite new authors. Her work extends above and beyond GONE GIRL and if you haven’t yet read SHARP OBJECTS and DARK PLACES then all I have to say to you is: what the hell are you waiting for? Earlier this year, I positively devoured Sharp Objects and Dark Places. I read them one after another in the span of one week. I was really stricken by the way that Flynn can create such dynamic and disturbing characters. I absolutely love her villainous women and children and for what feels like A LIFETIME, I’ve been not-so-patiently waiting for her to release another book.

Granted, THE GROWNUP is a standalone short story, but I think that’s part of the reason it is so great. Originally written for George R.R. Martin’s ROGUES, I am so happy the decision was made to print it as its own novella of sorts.

The story is interesting from the very first line: “I didn’t stop giving hand jobs because I wasn’t good at it”. I mean, who wouldn’t be intrigued? I was like, what does this have to do with ghosts? The main character, a happy ending giver, gets promoted to PALM READER in the shop she works at. A woman comes in seeking help for what she describes as a malevolent force in her new home and our narrator decides she is going to scam her.

And then there’s the Gillian Flynn twist. I’m not going to go into it because you can take an hour of your time and read it! You should take an hour of your time and read it! I’ve spent the past few days trying to work out whether the story is a ghost story proper or a revenge story or a little bit of both. Very TURN OF THE SCREW, don’t you think?

I do wish that the story could be expanded. That we could get more of the disturbing behavior that Miles exhibits. That we could see the real slow burn of Susan’s revenge. All in all, I wanted MORE, MORE GILLIAN FLYNN, which really is the mark of a good story to me – when you put it down and go, so that’s it? There’s nothing more? What happens next?

WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT HAPPENS NEXT???

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