Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi ThorpeMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Margo's Got Money Troubles is a sharp look at modern feminism, at what it means to make art and the relationship between art and artist, candy-coated in upmarket Bookclub plotting. Margo is a teenage mom--knocked up by her ex-professor--living with her addict, Pro Wrestler dad, selling nudes and videos on OnlyFans to make ends meet. Is it a modern take on A Scarlet Letter? Yes. But also more. Margo's voice intentionally shifts between first and third person, sometimes limited, sometimes omniscient, at times reading like a college creative writing exercise. There's impactful discussions of women's sexuality (the dividing line of "slut" being a woman's agency), and meta-analysis of the complex relationship between author and reader, all while the plot merrily chugs along. Some of the specifics here stumble (19-year-old Margo knows about Mr. Beast and Jake Paul but, for plot proposes, has no grasp on TikTok or Fortnite), and the end feels oddly rushed and a little too on the nose, but the characters shine, the plot is deceptively complex and the text leaves the reader with plenty to think about after the last page turns.
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