CBR17Bingo: "Work" - Because Only Fans is definitely work
I had never heard of Margo's Got Money Troubles (2024) by Rufi Thorpe when my book club picked it as our next read. I was only told that the main character does OnlyFans, so I was intrigued, but I wasn't really sure what to expect. I ended up listening to this one on Audiobook.I really enjoyed this novel. Margo is a very likeable protagonist. She is smart, resourceful, and works hard to protect those she loves. I almost immediately got personally interested in her life and deeply invested in the outcome.
Margo had something of a challenging childhood. Her father, Jinx, was a professional wrestler who cheated on his wife with Margo's mom. Jinx never left his wife and rarely saw Margo as she grew up. Margo's mother was there for her, but her priorities are considerably out of whack. At the beginning of the book, Margo is going to Junior College when her English professor initiates an affair with her. Margo doesn't particularly like the professor, but she appreciates the attention. When she accidentally gets pregnant, the professor tells her to abort it, but Margo has other ideas--mostly naive and idealistic ones.
After the baby is born, Margo is overwhelmed. Her roommates cannot stand the noise of a crying, newborn infant. Her work fires her because it's impossible for her to find childcare. Margo has no income, her mother is no help, and she is desperate. I thought this part of the book was very well done. Thorpe does a fantastic job in making the reader understand how few options Margo has. I honestly cannot understand how families manage this whole baby thing, but a single woman with a wage position and no family help? It seems impossible.
In her desperation Margo sets up an OnlyFans account. At about the same time, Margo's father, Jinx, shows up at her door, needing a place to stay. Jinx is trying to get sober after being addicted to opioids from all of his wrestling injuries. Fortunately, he is a natural caretaker, and he is great with the baby. Margo uses lessons learned from her father's wrestling career in making herself more marketable on OnlyFans.
Things seem to be finally improving, and it is so fun to see this little family coming together when it is suddenly all threatened. The baby's father finally shows an interest in his offspring and files for full custody, saying that Margo is an unfit mother. About the same time, a complaint is made to social services, and a social worker stops by, threatening to take Margo's baby into foster care. After seeing how much Margo loves her kid, and how much she did to build a stable life for him, I genuinely felt terrified for her.
Fortunately, everything turns out all right. In fact, the most unrealistic part of this book is probably how well everything turns out in the end. But by then, I liked the characters so much, I was happy to see it. Thorpe does a good job in pointing out some of the hypocrisy of the characters getting in the way of Margo, her child, and her living situation. One moment that had me yelling at my car stereo system was when the professor said Margo couldn't be a suitable mother because she's too young--a "baby--a baby!" She wasn't a baby when you slept with her, Creep! Highly recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment