The Grownup: A Story by the Author of Gone Girl
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Gillian Flynn’s Edgar Award-winning homage to the classic ghost story, published for the first time as a standalone.
A canny young woman is struggling to survive by perpetrating various levels of mostly harmless fraud. On a rainy April morning, she is reading auras at Spiritual Palms when Susan Burke walks in. A keen observer of human behavior, our unnamed narrator immediately diagnoses beautiful, rich Susan as an unhappy woman eager to give her lovely life a drama injection. However, when the "psychic" visits the eerie Victorian home that has been the source of Susan’s terror and grief, she realizes she may not have to pretend to believe in ghosts anymore. Miles, Susan’s teenage stepson, doesn’t help matters with his disturbing manner and grisly imagination. The three are soon locked in a chilling battle to discover where the evil truly lurks and what, if anything, can be done to escape it.
“The Grownup,” which originally appeared as “What Do You Do?” in George R. R. Martin’s Rogues anthology, proves once again that Gillian Flynn is one of the world’s most original and skilled voices in fiction.
A canny young woman is struggling to survive by perpetrating various levels of mostly harmless fraud. On a rainy April morning, she is reading auras at Spiritual Palms when Susan Burke walks in. A keen observer of human behavior, our unnamed narrator immediately diagnoses beautiful, rich Susan as an unhappy woman eager to give her lovely life a drama injection. However, when the "psychic" visits the eerie Victorian home that has been the source of Susan’s terror and grief, she realizes she may not have to pretend to believe in ghosts anymore. Miles, Susan’s teenage stepson, doesn’t help matters with his disturbing manner and grisly imagination. The three are soon locked in a chilling battle to discover where the evil truly lurks and what, if anything, can be done to escape it.
“The Grownup,” which originally appeared as “What Do You Do?” in George R. R. Martin’s Rogues anthology, proves once again that Gillian Flynn is one of the world’s most original and skilled voices in fiction.
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✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say this quick, roughly one-hour read showcases Gillian Flynn’s trademark dark humor, suspense, and flawed characters. Many appreciate the eng...
4.5/5 stars
I think this was a really well thought out and smart story. It left me feeling curious and a little unsettled.
It was just a complete whirlwind of emotions. The story started off slower and more character driven. The unnamed narrator was an interesting POV. She was raised with very questionable morals, but it was interesting to follow her train of thought, especially when studying human behavior.
BUT THEN the story takes a huge turn and turns into a complete ghost story with mysterious elements.
I understand why it has a lower rating, because the pacing was kind of weird... but I found it to be a great quick little book full of creeps and mystery.
I think this was a really well thought out and smart story. It left me feeling curious and a little unsettled.
It was just a complete whirlwind of emotions. The story started off slower and more character driven. The unnamed narrator was an interesting POV. She was raised with very questionable morals, but it was interesting to follow her train of thought, especially when studying human behavior.
BUT THEN the story takes a huge turn and turns into a complete ghost story with mysterious elements.
I understand why it has a lower rating, because the pacing was kind of weird... but I found it to be a great quick little book full of creeps and mystery.
This was a fun short story! I loved the random ghost story thriller part. The ending was a bit lame but I mean it’s a super short story can’t really get into a lot here. Also the beginning was so random but yeah. Pretty good.
This was a really good short story. It had so many twists and turns but did not compromise the quirkyness of the story itself.
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