Emily May, 30th December 2015
After reading and becoming engrossed in the psychotic, disturbing world of Gone Girl in the Summer, Flynn’s 2015 The Grownup was cursed with a forebodingly tough act to follow. However, despite it’s highly acclaimed predecessor, Flynn’s recent novella more than delivers every ingredient of a twisted mystery Gone Girl fans could desire from a new work by the award winning author.
The opening line states “I didn’t stop giving hand jobs because I was bad at it. I stopped giving hand jobs because I was the best at it”, shockingly introducing the reader to the anonymous narrator/main character – a soft core sex worker-cum- phoney psychic with a penchant for gothic literature.
As the novella develops the reader is drawn into a ghost story (much like those favoured by the protagonist) containing all the staples of a supernatural thriller – a haunted house, a mystery, and predicted double homicide. But, this is Gillian Flynn we’re dealing with… there’s a twist. Multiple twists. Twists that shatter our naive illusions that the sick and perverse are merely present in fantasy, and reveal that these demons are in fact features of human nature and completely plausible realities.
The plot slightly falls short due to its inability to establish enough evident hints/clues leading up to the climactic plot turn, leaving the reader the dissatisfying impression that the “verdict” has appeared out of thin air, without adequate compilation of carefully laid suggested evidence in the previous pages. One may conclude that this issue is due to the problematic nature of the medium of the short story, and viewing The Grownup with this in mind renders it impossible to compare it to longer, more complex plot lines, such as that of the incomparable Gone Girl.
However, one thing remains certain. The dark, abnormal mind of Gillian Flynn never fails to fashion degenerate, sadistic realities for her readers to be enthralled… and slightly abhorred by.
The Grownup is the winner of The Edgar Award 2015, and is available online from http://www.amazon.co.uk
A Bohemian In London 