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The Grownup: A Story by the Author of Gone Girl (Kindle Single) Kindle Edition

by Gillian Flynn (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 15,340 ratings
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Gillian Flynn’s Edgar Award-winning homage to the classic ghost story, published for the first time as a standalone.

A canny young woman is struggling to survive by perpetrating various levels of mostly harmless fraud. On a rainy April morning, she is reading auras at Spiritual Palms when Susan Burke walks in. A keen observer of human behavior, our unnamed narrator immediately diagnoses beautiful, rich Susan as an unhappy woman eager to give her lovely life a drama injection. However, when the "psychic" visits the eerie Victorian home that has been the source of Susan’s terror and grief, she realizes she may not have to pretend to believe in ghosts anymore. Miles, Susan’s teenage stepson, doesn’t help matters with his disturbing manner and grisly imagination. The three are soon locked in a chilling battle to discover where the evil truly lurks and what, if anything, can be done to escape it.

“The Grownup,” which originally appeared as “What Do You Do?” in George R. R. Martin’s Rogues anthology, proves once again that Gillian Flynn is one of the world’s most original and skilled voices in fiction.
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  1. Print length
    61 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Crown
  5. Publication date
    Nov. 3 2015
  6. File size
    744 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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  1. I would rather be a librarian, but I worry about the job security. Books may be temporary; dicks are forever.
    Highlighted by 660 Kindle readers
  2. Millions of dollars later, and neither of them were happy. Money is wasted on the rich.
    Highlighted by 556 Kindle readers
  3. I waited her out. Empathetic silence is one of the most underused weapons in the world.
    Highlighted by 426 Kindle readers
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Product description

About the Author

Gillian Flynn is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Gone Girl, for which she wrote the Golden Globe–nominated screenplay; the New York Times bestsellers Dark Places and Sharp Objects; and a novella, The Grownup. A former critic for Entertainment Weekly, she lives in Chicago with her husband and children.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0138OACAW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crown (Nov. 3 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 744 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 61 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 15,340 ratings

About the author

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Gillian Flynn

Gillian Flynn

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Gillian Flynn was the chief TV critic for ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY and now writes full-time. Her first novel SHARP OBJECTS was the winner of two CWA DAGGERS and was shortlisted for the GOLD DAGGER. Her latest novel, GONE GIRL, is a massive No.1 bestseller. The film adaptation of GONE GIRL, directed by David Fincher and starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, won the Hollywood Film Award 2014.

Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5 stars
3.7 out of 5
15,340 global ratings

Top reviews from Canada

Dana
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Short Story
Reviewed in Canada on May 24, 2023
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It's quite a twisty little short story. It had me hooked from the first line. I finished reading it a few days ago, and I'm still thinking about the ending.
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Slyroch
4.0 out of 5 stars A short spooky thriller
Reviewed in Canada on January 7, 2023
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The grown-up is a short novella about a young woman who gives hand jobs for a living - the first line in the book. Trying to diversify her earnings she starts fortune telling which is where she meets Susan who needs help with a wayward stepson ad a haunted house. The story is moving one way until suddenly it changes everything and leaves the reader wondering what's the truth. Truly entertaining!
One person found this helpful
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Zoe
3.0 out of 5 stars Not amazing, but also not bad either
Reviewed in Canada on August 21, 2020
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I got this because I read the first line of it and thought "wow, that's a thing that I'm going to read now..."
(Those who have read this know what I mean).

Anyways, the story is really good! There is definitely something here. The biggest issue I had with this book was its length. At just over 60 pages, it's not exactly long. Because of that, there were parts that felt rushed, the end just kind of happens and then it's done. Basically this book just needed to be longer.

Also, I now know a line of work I should avoid so I do not acquire a nice bout of carpal tunnel, so that's a nice little takeaway for me.
3 people found this helpful
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Allison
5.0 out of 5 stars Good twists!
Reviewed in Canada on January 9, 2017
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Love Gillian Flynn! Her writing style is amazing and this short story had two very unexpected twists! Great, quick read.
One person found this helpful
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Emma
2.0 out of 5 stars Two Stars
Reviewed in Canada on March 13, 2016
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This is not a novel, it's a short story. The story is really weird too
2 people found this helpful
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Dusty
4.0 out of 5 stars What a twist!
Reviewed in Canada on September 3, 2018
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The first half of this story felt like something Chuck Palahniuk would write but without his pretentious characters. Pretty solid, funny, slightly creepy story all around but it takes a turn for the meh at the end.
One person found this helpful
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Julie
1.0 out of 5 stars My fault?
Reviewed in Canada on March 5, 2023
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You can read this book in a couple hours. I was expecting another great novel. Meh. I don’t recall if the description says how many pages; if so, my fault and I wouldn’t have bought it.
Where’s the ending???
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Nicole
3.0 out of 5 stars and would have liked to see the story continue and develop a little ...
Reviewed in Canada on April 4, 2016
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This was much shorter than I thought, which of course was my own fault. I'm used to Gillian Flynn stories where there is a lot more character development, and unfortunately I didn't get that here, despite how twisted it was. I know the point of it was to leave you hanging, wondering what happened in the end, but unfortunately I didn't find that that worked here, and would have liked to see the story continue and develop a little bit more.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Fernanda
5.0 out of 5 stars Amei!
Reviewed in Brazil on August 11, 2021
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Comprei a versão da editora britânica e achei uma ótima edição, a folha é boa e tem uma ótima diagramação, recomendo!
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Fernanda
5.0 out of 5 stars Amei!
Reviewed in Brazil on August 11, 2021
Comprei a versão da editora britânica e achei uma ótima edição, a folha é boa e tem uma ótima diagramação, recomendo!
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ănyā
5.0 out of 5 stars Leaves you gasping
Reviewed in India on April 16, 2024
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Thrill that leaves a cold crick in your spine. Leaves you gasping and weary . Extraordinary thriller
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Georgina
5.0 out of 5 stars A great quick read perhaps for a rainy/lazy day
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 4, 2020
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The first thing you should know is that this book is not your average length. The book is quite short and I would definitely say more of a short story or novella. I am not a particularly fast reader but this book did not even take me half a day to read.
Regardless of this, I love Gillian Flynn as an author and have read her previous books, including Gone Girl.
She still achieves the suspense and mystery/thriller that she portrays in all of her other books that I have read. She did not disappoint as there were still plot twists and the psychological thriller element that I expected.
This book does really well to tell a full story in a limited amount of pages and could have definitely been a full novel if given the time.
Ends on a cliffhanger but does leave you wanting more and I was not disappointed.
3 people found this helpful
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Cliente de Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Increible!!
Reviewed in Mexico on May 4, 2017
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Magistral. Una escritura extraordinaria. Guillian se encuentra un escalón por encima de todos. Cualquier amante de la lectura tiene que disfrutar de esta maravillosa escritora.
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Nicki Kendall
4.0 out of 5 stars a dark twisty short read
Reviewed in Australia on May 10, 2023
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A twisty, creepy short read from Gillian Flynn. The first part of this short story reminded me of the Gone Girl unreliable narrator theme, which I wasn't disappointed by.. An unnamed female narrator manipulates people every day in her job - from giving hand jobs to wealthy men to reading people's "auras". She's smart, ambitious and perceptive with a laid back attitude towards sex, she isn't afraid to screw people over to get what she wants from life. The middle part of this short read was where the Flynn magic really kicked in, it was definitely very creepy and left me wondering just what kind of thriller was I reading?! Whilst a short read it was still a scary psychological thriller with twists I didn't anticipate. The ending was a little ambiguous for my liking but that's more a reflection of my tastes and it didn't take away from this read at all. #thegrownup #gillianflynn #tea_sipping_bookworm #goodreads #thestorygraph #getlitsy #thriller #bookqueen #bookstagram #amazonaustralia #kindle
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