The Grownup

Description

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.

Reviews

“Whilst the bestselling Gone Girl is still the title being devoured at every book club, author Gillian Flynn has moved on with her latest offering The Grownup. It’s a short story about a woman who earns a living pretending to be a psychic.” – HELLO FASHION MONTHLY

“Gillian Flynn’s The Grownup is a psychologically taut novella told from the viewpoint of a con artist, who attempted trick is thwarted by a malevolent teenage boy.”-VOGUE

“a fierce, sharply written tale”-METRO

“Stories should be taut but humming with ambiguity, and The Grownup is both.”-THE SPECTATOR

“a chilling short story about a fake clairvoyant who gets tangled up with a mysterious family.”-GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

“This chilling short story from the author of Gone Girl is not for the faint-hearted.”-WOMAN AND HOME

“Flynn is as adept as ever at building up a character into someone likeable and believable while still corrupt.”-THE INDEPENDENT

“A fantastic read that will leave you wanting more from Gillian.”-CLOSER

“For millions who adored Gone Girl, this 60-page novella offers a taste of Flynn’s brilliance.”-SUNDAY MIRROR

“The Gone Girl writer gives us chills again with the story of a young woman conning people as a psychic who develops a real feel for the supernatural.”-GRAZIA

“it manages to evoke an atmosphere of freezing dread before Flynn’s by-now-signature sequence of twists enters the narrative”-DAILY TELEGRAPH

“fans of Flynn’s work definitely won’t be disappointed”-PRESS ASSOCIATION

“a cracker… the story’s sassy narration, Gone Girl twistiness and blend of comedy and chills are pure Flynn.”-SUNDAY TIMES

“The Grownup will not disappoint expectant fans.”-THE BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH

“Flynn is a brilliant plot-twister and manipulator of readers’ expectations. The Grownup keeps you guessing until the end – and beyond.”-THE TIMES

“The Grownup is accomplished storytelling, an impressive teaser to keep fans engaged while they await her next full-length outing.”-THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY 

Author Biography

GILLIAN FLYNN is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Gone Girl and the New York Times bestsellers Dark Places and Sharp Objects. A former writer and critic for Entertainment Weekly, she lives in Chicago with her husband and children.