The economic boom in Ireland, referred to as the Celtic Tiger, resulted in a financial merry-go-round, where there were few restrictions controlling the financial institutions. This in turn created a financial bubble that ultimately burst, resulting in the financial crash in 2008. At both the individual and collective levels, the crash was devastating, causing severe unemployment and economic hardship, even poverty among many segments of the population, re-shaping the landscape of work in Ireland. This chapter explores the pain and vulnerability following the crash as represented in Donal Ryan’s novel The Spinning Heart (2012). The novel offers a hard-hitting critique of irresponsible constructors and employers, a reality ultimately made possible by a corrupt and dysfunctional political culture.