Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe

 

Summary (from the publisher): 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.

Review: Margo is only twenty when she finds herself a single mother of an infant and unemployed. Her family and friends urged her not to keep the baby after she find herself pregnant after a brief affair with her college English professor, but she decided to anyway and now finds herself with little support. She needs money fast, so she starts an OnlyFans page. But she hasn't thought through the ramifications of working in a sex work adjacent profession or the impact of internet fame on her life. 

For a book about a woman posting nude photos in exchange for money, this was surprisingly endearing. Margo is such a naive and earnest young woman. In reality, its many of the other characters who come across as scummy and immoral in their actions and not Margo.  Her Achilles heel seem seems to be a failure to think through the ramifications of her actions but just blindly going on faith with her gut instinct. For instance, it doesn't occur to her that she will need childcare for her baby after it is born so she can continue working. 

I truly could not predict from one page to another what would happen in this novel. There was a lot going on and at times I did feel frustrated at Margo's immaturity or inability to foresee bad outcomes. I do think this is a book that the reader must try to come to without judgement. But it also a very funny book at times. For instance, Margo goes to a Christmas dinner at a house where the walls were "the texture of psoriasis" and "tuna casserole with raisins" is served. I don't think this book is for everyone, but I really enjoyed its quirky cast of characters and unusual premise. At heart, it's about a woman and a mother coming into her own. 

The audiobook was narrated by Elle Fanning, who was a perfect choice for this particular text. I have read this this has been optioned for a screen adaptation, and I think it could be brilliant on screen. 

Stars: 4