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In 2000, Paul Livingson graduated from university and got his first proper grown up job. By 2007 he had filed for bankruptcy. With no failed businesses, unfortunate property depreciation or poor stock market investments in between you might be at a loss to see how he ended up there, until you read his diary of those years and it all becomes crystal clear.
Paul is a spender of the [[Save Karyn]] ‘Swipe, sign, it was mine’ school of thought. While he does buy a few gadgets (and, oh the memories of the early noughties when you could shell out two grand on a computer compared to the 1/10th of that I spent on this new one yesterday ) his major weakness is holidays: romantic breaks, stag dos, foreign weddings he’s not fussy as long as it’s abroad. He’s also someone who can’t say no, so even when he knows he’s in the red, has maxed out every card and will need to apply for another just for this trip….he still does it. With friends on bigger incomes encouraging him to spend what he doesn’t have, but his family judging him harshly when he does, he’s can't win. But it seems that when the going gets tough, another holiday makes it quite alright.
The diary style works well as it moves the story on, though you do have to pay attention to the dates as some entries are much further apart than others. It’s a very chatty, punchy book, a little like a not quite as good male [[''Bridget Jones's Diary]] '' and it’s funny a lot of the time even if you don’t agree with how he rationalizes his spending decisions. I read it quickly over a few days on holiday and it was a great book to travel with as you can pick it up and put it down easily without losing the momentum.
I really liked the book, but I couldn’t get on board with the message. While Paul might think he comes across as big and clever for having found a loophole that allows him to ditch his debt with few consequences, in reality he appears at best naïve and at worst utterly stupid. Even before he gets to the bankruptcy stage his attitude is very much one of relinquished responsibility, an ostrich burying its head in the sand. I have never known anyone so financially illiterate and it actually made me cringe at times. His conclusion that it was the banks’ fault for offering him the credit in the first place was only slightly less maddening than the ease with which he got the bankruptcy he so keenly wanted. I know bankruptcy is seen as much more of an option these days, and in certain circumstances I can see the logic of it for both individuals and their debtors, but taking too many lads’ holidays you cannot afford and then using it as a means not to pay for them? Seriously? I just wanted to slap him.
