BookLife Review by Carol O’Day: Margo’s Got Money Troubles (Rufi Thorpe, author)
Contemporary fiction, romance, comedy, unplanned pregnancy, single mothers, pro-wrestling, child care challenges, OnlyFans, sex workers, social media, friendship, custody, self-advocacy
Rufi Thorpe’s novel, Margo’s Got Money Troubles, is a rollicking contemporary drama about a young woman trying to make her way in the world under extremely challenging circumstances. Margo is savvy and intelligent but lacks financial resources to attend a four-year college. The daughter of single Hooter’s waitress mother and an absent pro-wrestling manager father, Margo enrolls in community college. She is a talented writer and is noticed by her married writing instructor. Professor and student begin an affair. When Margo becomes pregnant, the affair ends abruptly and the professor goes awol. Margo decides to keep the baby; her son, Bodhi is born. She loves Bodhi, but struggles to manage her waitressing job, her coursework and find childcare. She drops out of college and shortly thereafter is fired from her job. Two of her three roommates move out, unable to tolerate a crying infant, and Margo is on the cusp of losing her apartment. Her narcissistic mother is no help. Her long-absent father suddenly reappears (kicked out by his wife and second family), moves in and helps Margo meet rent.
With no college degree and no reliable childcare, Margo decides to start an OnlyFans account, posting and selling nude photos of herself to generate income in a way that allows her to also care for her son, Bodhi, without incurring childcare costs. Her father and remaining roommate pitch in to help care for Bodhi as needed. Margo leverages her father’s pro-wrestling knowledge to optimize her online persona. By collaborating with other OnlyFans account holders, and cross-promoting their accounts, her OnlyFans business grows. Her creative writing acumen allows her to build a following. She develops a friendship of sorts with one account holder with whom she corresponds for hire.
Margo manages to make ends meet until all hell breaks loose. A high school friend outs Margo’s participation on OnlyFans, publicly shaming her on social media. Out of the blue, Bodhi’s father reappears and files suit for custody, claiming Margo is an unfit parent. As part of the custody battle, Margo undergoes psychological testing. At the same time, Margo’s dysfunctional mother, overly eager to snare a husband who is ultra-conservative, reports Margo to Child Protective Services who make an unannounced inspection visit. Unbeknownst to Margo, her dad is again using drugs, which puts her custody at risk while he is in residence. A scramble of wits ensues.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles is a fun romp. Thorpe writes with a fresh voice bringing to life the perils of social media and the hazards of OnlyFans. At the same time, the novel is a biting commentary on the challenges facing single mothers to secure affordable childcare, the deeply embedded shaming of sex workers and those afflicted with substance use addictions in our society, and the profound inequities in educational opportunity. Those with financial resources and financially secure parents enjoy a smooth path to a college education, a luxury not readily available to those who do not. Margo manages to thrive, but not without a struggle, and a sense of humor.
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