The Grownup | | Book Review

"Let's start with the blood tickle" 

In true tradition of the psychological thrillers Gillian Flynn creates after her award winning three novels; Gone Girl (Best-selling, now made into a gripping movie starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike) Dark Places and Sharp Objects. The Grownup follows suit but in short story form, this is a book to read if you don't have time for full length novels but perhaps not a book to read late at night; it's light, thrilling (obviously) and ends on a cliffhanger. All readers love a good cliffhanger until you realise there isn't a second novel or there's very minimal chance of picking the author's brain.

The opening sentence is shocking, vulgar in the best sense but you are must be used to this if you're familiar with Flynn's style of writing. She doesn't sugar coat her words, the stories are raw, jaw-clenching and somewhat, filthy. Flynn clearly has no issues with controversy topics, she writes about women who are sex workers, women who aren't scared of male oppression and masters the art of psychologically investing you. 

Allowing readers to develop an attachment to characters is exactly what Flynn does, you'll feel a cluster of emotion and feel slightly dazed towards the end. A tale of three main characters: the unnamed narrator who works as first, sex worker and secondly, as psychic in a demoralizing work place, Susan: the woman she meets during a psychic interaction, a woman she becomes highly invested with and Miles: Susan's suspected demonic stepson.

Without spoiling this beautiful piece, this is a ghost story that'll leave chills down your spine but with the addition of manipulative characters, further leaving you wondering who is the suspect and who is the victim! Flynn's style of writing develops her character with such high complexity, her words will make you doubt your original thoughts and question your sanity.