Margo's Got Money Troubles
Rufi Thorpe
A bold, laugh-out-loud funny, and heartwarming story about one young woman’s attempt to navigate adulthood, new motherhood, and her meager bank account in our increasingly online world—from the PEN/Faulkner finalist and critically acclaimed author of The Knockout Queen. As the child of a Hooters waitress and an ex-pro wrestler, Margo Millet's always known she’d have to make it on her own. So she enrolls at her local junior college, even though she can’t imagine how she’ll ever make a living. She’s still figuring things out and never planned to have an affair with her English professor—and while the affair is brief, it isn’t brief enough to keep her from getting pregnant. Despite everyone’s advice, she decides to keep the baby, mostly out of naiveté and a yearning for something bigger. Now, at twenty, Margo is alone with an infant, unemployed, and on the verge of eviction. She needs a cash infusion—fast. When her estranged father, Jinx, shows up on her doorstep and asks to move in with her, she agrees in exchange for help with childcare. Then Margo begins to form a plan: she’ll start an OnlyFans as an experiment, and soon finds herself adapting some of Jinx’s advice from the world of wrestling. Like how to craft a compelling character and make your audience fall in love with you. Before she knows it, she’s turned it into a runaway success. Could this be the answer to all of Margo’s problems, or does internet fame come with too high a price? Blisteringly funny and filled with sharp insight, Margo’s Got Money Troubles is a tender tale starring an endearing young heroine who’s struggling to wrest money and power from a world that has little interest in giving it to her. It’s a playful and honest examination of the art of storytelling and controlling your own narrative, and an empowering portrait of coming into your own, both online and off.
Im about 3/4 through and absolutely loving this read - one of the more unique and engaging parts has been the switch from first to third person, and the occasional second person quip. So, my theory is first person is HungryGhost and third person is Margo, which I’m guessing is to show that her authentic self is actually her unbound, free online persona. I’d been using this as a working theory until page 185 where she says “This is definitely one of those sections I will have to tell in third person”. What does this mean?? Maybe I just need to get to the end to see a big reveal on the narrative choices, but I’m curious what others theories were. Not all HungryGhost or Margo-centered sections are split neatly in first and third person, so it’s hard to tell why the narration switches.
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5 big ol stars - voicey, hilarious, tender, and insightful, this book is everything I want in a contemporary literary read and had me hooked from the first chapter. Margo is instantly endearing, and the whole quirky cast of characters had me eager to return to their world and see what they were up to. Somehow the ex pro wrestler, former deadbeat dad became my favorite character - fr testament to Rufi Thrope's genius. The nuanced exploration of camgirl/OnlyFans work was really well done, you can tell the author did her due diligence researching the struggle to get "discovered" by fans, the personal life impact, and the grimy yet oddly thrilling nature of the job. She also somehow managed to show the realities of opiate addiction and its impact on family members without making the tone overly heavy. If you're looking for an entertaining yet heartwarming read that is EXTREMELY well written and easy to digest, I cannot recommend this enough.
0I adored this. What a fun, weird little book.
I loved what the story had to say about duality and the line between what's real and what's fake:
Even when it came to herself, Margo could see it both ways: hometown girl makes good, defies capitalist patriarchy, or teen whore sells nudes while nursing, too lazy to work.
Rufi Thorpe packed a ton of story and character development into 300 pages. I couldn't help but cheer for Margo, who made some unconventional decisions, but through it all, persevered to find a way forward for her and her child. I have to admire her resourcefulness.
There was a lot to love: Jinx’s development as a character, the growing friendship between Margo and Suzie, the correspondence between Margo and JB, plentiful SoCal references, professional wrestling, and the weird wild west of the Internet. This was a delight, and Book of the Month has been picking some bangers this year.
***4.5 stars***
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