The Grownup

Title: The Grownup

Author: Gillian Flynn

Genre: Short Stories, Fiction

Time: 0.4 hours

Rating: 8 out of 10

here's a short description of the book in goodreads.

Gone Girl.. Dark Places.. Sharp Objects.. This author is a genius.  I can't get enough of her books.  I've been waiting for her to publish a new one.  I came across The Grown Up thinking it's her latest book but it turns out its a short story, not a full novel.  But whatever.  I take what I can.  

I'm not really a fan of short stories because most of them have a deep/philosophical/existential, hidden meanings/allegories/metaphors that I never seem to get.  I understand that maybe they want to be thought provoking or whatever and I'm fine with that but can you provoke my thoughts in a more direct and straight-forward way?  

Good thing Gillian Flynn is an amazing writer.  She truly knows how to paint a picture with words.  She has a way with written words that you just wanna keep on reading what she is writing.  You wanna see where it's gonna take you.  She is so good that I started to get freaked out about the fake haunted house and creepy psychopath stepson (the real and made up one).

Too bad this is just a short story that it feels so insufficient.  Adding to that, it ends with a cliffhanger.  I know, I know.. maybe the author wants the reader to create/believe their own ending.  But I want closure, dammit!

How Does It End?

WARNING!!! SPOILERS AHEAD!!  READ THIS TO UNDERSTAND THIS PART OF THE POST.

Con artist (who I just now realized that we were never told what her name was) found a gullible mark who she is "helping" get rid of the unseen, dark forces in her old house.  Con artist eventually ended up genuinely wanting to help her with her psychopath stepson problems.  But plot twist!  Turns out con artist is the one being conned.  But the question is by who and why.  Is it Susan Burke because she wants to get back at the con artist for giving her hubby Mike blow jobs?  Or is the psycho step son because he--A, wants go to some convention somewhere in a different state or because B,: to escape the psycho stepmom while his dad is still away on a business trip and needs a safe place until he gets back.  The answer is.. we won't know.. the author leaves us hanging.  Although she gives us this--con artist starts to warm up to the idea of having a new side kick (or maybe she is actually the becoming the sidekick) but she is still scared of the kid, though.