Paul Schiernecker's Where Did All The Money Go? is a collection of short stories, but like the best short story collections there is a strong link that binds them all and on completion reads like a good novel. It is a brash, comical account of student life above and beyond the likes of The Inbetweeners and Fresh Meat that omits no staples of formative years, be they first-time substance abuse, trips to Amsterdam or really gelling with a new friend for the first time. It is also expertly bookended by the modern day, getting across that feeling of growing up and simultaneously heightening the nostalgic value.
Schiernecker's triumph is that he pulls no punches and is completely candid in his loosely biographical recollections of university days; an early bedroom mishap will make you squirm, but is all the more hilarious and endearing for it. His redundantly-pseudonymed central characters are, despite their social misfires and misadventures, consistently likeable and the supporting players are no less impressive (the aptly named Madcat deserves a novel of his own).
Stories range from the outright hilarious (Madcat on the Prowl) to the genuinely sinister (The Curse of Iggy Sutcliffe) but the high quality never varies or wanes. The author's ability to round off a seemingly mundane and familiar scenario with a laugh out loud punchline is impressive to the last page, and whether or not your college years were as eventful as Schiernecker's, by the end you'll have convinced yourself that they were. The highly detailed, considerate first person narration will make you feel as though you were there.
Where Did All The Money Go is a coming of age tale that stands alongside the best of the genre and deserves to find bible status among the student population. It is an honest, hilarious and expertly crafted piece of nostalgia, wherein absolutely nothing is left out (except for the plot twist to Lucky Number Slevin).
Where Did All The Money Go is available now on Amazon and Amazon Kindle.
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