The financial crisis of 2008 quickly gave rise to a growing body of fiction: "Crunch Lit". These ''recession writings'' take the financial crisis as their central narrative concern and explore its effects on consumer culture, gender roles and contemporary communities. Examining a range of texts including Sebastian Faulks'' A Week in December, Adam Haslett''s Union Atlantic, and John Lanchester''s Capital, this book offers the first wide-ranging guide to these new millennial writings.