The Grownup by Gillian Flynn (2015)
A short story initially published as What Do You Do? in the 2014 anthology Rogues.
Laura’s Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Plot: When a low level con woman and skeptic encounters a haunting Victorian home, she is forced to question what she thinks she knows about the supernatural.
Opinion: This short story still packs a big punch. The Grownup won the 2015 Edgar Award for Best Short Story.
The narrator is witty, sarcastic, and shameless right from the start and her personality remains consistent throughout. The story has decent character development considering its length and the eerie events build tension effectively.
Gillian Flynn is the queen of twists and I should have seen this one coming, but I didn’t. I think this easily could have been fleshed out into a longer book, but I’ve grown to appreciate a shorter form narrative.
My main issue is with the sloppy ending. The plot seems to bend back in on itself, leaving the reader to wonder about the truth. While an ambiguous ending can work and could even be appropriate for this story, the execution of it felt unfinished and confused rather than intentionally crafted.
Still, if you’re looking for a ghost story with some spunk, The Grownup may be for you.
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