Gillian Flynn "The Grownup"
From the beloved author of Sharp Objects and Gone Girl — and a known fan of angst — comes a short story that’s difficult to review without giving too much away, because it’s, well, very short.
The unnamed narrator is a con artist who used to work as a sex worker, performing handjobs in a fortune-telling salon called Spiritual Palms. She later shifts to fake aura and psychic readings.
She meets Susan Burke, a wealthy housewife who believes her new Victorian home is haunted by an evil spirit — one that’s damaging her already strained relationship with her teenage stepson, Miles.
During the cleansing rituals, the narrator begins to feel threatened by Miles. As the strange events escalate and Miles becomes increasingly hostile, even the narrator starts to believe the house may actually be haunted.
To be honest, I didn’t enjoy the story. Everything felt rushed and unfinished — more like reading a brief plot summary of a novel rather than a fully formed story. The plot itself seemed rather pointless.
I saw one reader suggest this was meant to be a parody of classic haunted-house horror (like King’s), but it wasn't giving it, for real. After reading King you would feel chill down your spine and something unsettling, not letting you fall asleep. Here you are just reading it waiting for something to happen and then you are like 'ah, okay then'.
Now, about the title and meaning — here’s my interpretation. The story seems to touch on a familiar American theme: kids from dysfunctional families and how parental neglect can ruin a child’s life. This applies to both main characters.
The boy simply needed a grown-up — hence the title — someone to support his wants and ideas. The narrator, although legally an adult, is clearly not one emotionally. She’s naive, fearful, and oddly trusting. That’s probably why she was so easy to manipulate.
So, yes, I finished it. Will I remember it? Probably not. Do I recommend it? Not really. I haven’t read Flynn’s other stories — so if you’ve got recommendations, drop them!