The Grownup by Gillian Flynn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A young woman is making a living, faking it as a cut-price psychic working at Spiritual Palms (with some illegal soft-core sex work on the side). She makes a decent wage – mostly by telling people what they want to hear. But then she meets Susan Burke. Susan moved to the city one year ago with her husband and 15-year old stepson Miles. They live in a Victorian house called Carterhook Manor, built in 1893. Susan has become convinced that some malevolent spirit is inhabiting their home and taking possession of the stepson. She has even found trickles of blood on the wall. The young woman doesn’t believe in exorcism or the supernatural, but she does see an opportunity to make a lot of money. However, when she enters the house for the first time and meets Miles, she begins to feel it too, as if the very house is watching her, waiting, biding its time….
Warnings: mention of animal abuse, murder
So this was creepy and confusing and I don’t really know what to think about that ending so I am giving it a non-committal 3 stars. The story of Grownup challenges to question what story you know, and what is real by how it is framed. Even at the end, we don’t know what happens and I guess for some that is something awesome but my curious ass wants a proper conclusion dammit.
Anyway, the main story goes like this – a psychic/sex worker (it is complicated) is asked to come cleanse a house of malevolent spirits by a rich woman. She first thinks that the woman will be easy to trick, but while in the house, she starts to feel watched, and creeped out. The creepy teen step-son and the weirdness of the house doesn’t help. She doesn’t know who is bad – is it the step-son or the house, or is it as the kid says – the mother itself? Who knows? This book is more about the experience and the messing up of your beliefs in what could be possible. I personally did not see that twist coming but my buddy reader did, so maybe I was just caught up in the atmosphere of the novel. Whatever it was, the ending just left me conflicted, okay?
Note: This is an adult fiction novel, and not YA! Not advised for younger teens.
YA on my Mind 
I agree with you on this one. I felt incomplete when I finished this one. Great review!
I haven’t had a chance to read a Gillian Flynn book but I am not sure I will? I don’t really like how confusing and twisted this is… it sounds a bit like I would get lost in the atmosphere and not really understand the story. Thanks for the review!