First of all, don’t get too excited. This new volume by the bestselling author of GONE GIRL and SHARP OBJECTS is not a novel. It’s an Edgar Award–winning short story that was originally published in an anthology edited by George R. R. Martin. So, although THE GROWNUP is a great way for Gillian Flynn’s fans to get a quick fix between novels, you’re going to have to wait a little while for her next full-length work.

That said, if you are a fan of hers, you won’t want to miss this creepy little gem, which offers just as many sinister thrills and delicious ambiguity as her other works. It’s the perfect story to curl up with on a November evening as the wind howls and the leaves fall outside. Just be sure you’re not alone in the house!

"THE GROWNUP would be a great story to bring to a book group --- both for the opportunities for discussion and to read this creepy, ghostly tale in the company of others."

The story opens as the narrator, a sex worker-turned-psychic, offers a “reading” for a new client, Susan Burke. Our heroine is not a psychic in the true sense of the word, but she is a good judge of human nature and enjoys making up back stories for her clients --- traits that serve her well as she works to tell them what they want to hear. In Susan’s case, she uncovers familial discord; Susan is growing unnerved by her teenage stepson, Miles, and fears that his increasingly bizarre and menacing behavior stems from the family’s recent move into a completely renovated Victorian house.

Susan seems to buy the narrator’s assessment of her family’s situation, and she offers to pay a lot extra for a spiritual “cleansing” of the home. As the narrator spends an increasing amount of time there, and especially as she witnesses Miles’ behavior, she becomes more and more convinced that Susan and the rest of the family may, in fact, be in danger from the spirits that haunt the home.

But it wouldn’t be a Gillian Flynn story without a twist or two. Suffice it to say that both the narrator and readers are forced to reassess who’s telling the truth --- and who’s playing whom --- before the story is said and done. Even on the last page, it’s not clear where the truth lies, which means that THE GROWNUP would be a great story to bring to a book group --- both for the opportunities for discussion and to read this creepy, ghostly tale in the company of others.