A review by leandrathetbrzero
The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

dark funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This story was recommended to me by my friend, Moriah. Funnily enough, this is the only book (I believe) that she had read by Flynn and I had read her other three longer form works. There are definitely elements that I enjoyed and due to it being a short story, it’s worth the read. I found the story to begin quite slowly. My investment didn’t begin until the narrator made her way to the house and started experiencing the dysfunction within it. When Flynn personified the house, as if it were watching and reacting to the narrator, that reminded me of The Haunting of Hill House. I loved that parallel. The ending did feel a bit thrown together and too absurd in places for the genre, and the teenaged character’s dialogue did not feel realistic, but I found the last few actions and thoughts of the narrator on the final page to be quite satisfying. Overall a solid read, and it was interesting to return to an author I hadn’t read in many years.
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