“Margo’s Got Money Troubles is the feel-good novel we need right now.” —The Washington Post
“[An] enormously entertaining and lovable book.” —Nick Hornby, New York Times Book Review
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.
“A wholly original novel. . . . Thorpe is both poetic and profound in the way she brings her remarkable story to an end.” —The Associated Press
Author Info
Rufi Thorpe is the author of The Knockout Queen, a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner award; Dear Fang, with Love; and The Girls from Corona del Mar, which was long-listed for the International Dylan Thomas Prize and the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize. A native of California, she currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons.
Reviews
“The warmth of Thorpe’s tone, together with the thoroughness of her imagination and the artfulness of her pacing, means that skepticism is kept at bay. She sells us on both the characters and the plot . . . [in] this enormously entertaining and lovable book.” — Nick Hornby, New York Times Book Review
“The feel-good novel we need right now. . . . Margo’s Got Money Troubles is fiery while at the same time darkly funny . . . With Margo, Thorpe has given us a heroine to cheer for as she zigs and zags through a clothing-optional world, creating a brand-new life driven by age-old intelligence and motherly love.” — The Washington Post
“Beyond Thorpe’s strong characters and tight plots, what sets her apart from her peers is the gnawing philosophical tension that rests at the center of her books. . . . Thorpe’s novels defy easy categorization. Her characters’ radiant energy and her books’ knotted plots don’t align with the moody atmosphere and tone poem quality of most contemporary literary fiction. Yet, these novels remain more intense and rigorous than most upmarket women’s fiction. It’s exhilarating to find an author who wants to tell you a good yarn, but also ask a lot of complicated questions.” — Lauren LeBlanc, Los Angeles Times
“Endearingly chaotic, this coming-of-age tale is certain to score a passionate fanbase.” — Lauren Puckett-Pope, Elle, “Best Books of Summer”
“For those seeking chaos this summer, Margo's Got Money Troubles has more than enough for your fix, and you'll laugh out loud, too. . . . a smart, witty look at money, internet fame, and power.” — Marie Claire
“A wholly original novel. . . . Thorpe is both poetic and profound in the way she brings her remarkable story to an end.” — The Associated Press
“A raucous and dazzlingly original novel that might just be the funniest book you read all summer.” — Oprah Daily
"Crazy good." — Newsday
“A fun house mirror of a novel. . . deeply felt and wildly tender. Its characters are flawed and funny, and the novel itself reaches out toward its readers, hungry to be understood. The result is a book that is both a kiss on the throat and a punch in the teeth: vital, bracing, violent, alive.” — Alta
“In turns funny and moving, daring and satisfying, but above else, relentlessly charming—that rare book about storytelling that also tells a good story.“ — Emily Temple, Literary Hub
“It's hard not to love Margo, the character, who's smart, resourceful, goofy and kind, gamely conducting us through what is finally an entertaining plot full of quirky characters, surprising twists, and good old-fashioned suspense (What's to become of baby Bodhi?!). Give that woman, and her clever author, whatever constitutes a round of applause in this make-believe world.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Reading a Rufi Thorpe novel is like attending a masterclass on causality in fiction. Few authors write as deftly about navigating the systems that control our lives.” — Arturo Vidich, Chicago Review of Books
“Exuberant . . . Terrific characters, rich worldbuilding, deep thoughts about fiction and morality, a love story, and a happy ending.” — Kirkus Reviews(starred review)
“Sometimes, a simple review feels insufficient. Where are the skywriters, the megaphones? In the case of Margo's Got Money Troubles, rest assured: this novel is going to make some serious noise. Aside from its excellent pacing and fascinating character work, this book is terrifically smart and plays with perspective through the indelible voice of Margo. A brilliant exploration of what is real and what is fake, how the world sees us and how we see ourselves, and what it means to try to control the narrative. . . . Whether it's Rufi Thorpe or Margo, readers will fall in love.” — Shelf Awareness (starred review)
“This book is a gas!” — RuPaul, on Instagram
“For anyone navigating the intertwined anxieties of adulthood and motherhood and trying to find their way through life, this book promises to offer sharp insights. It does so with a blend of boldness and humor. . . This audacious story explores themes of self-reliance and empowerment, but in a humorous rendition.” — Harper’s Bazaar
"Margo’s Got Money Troubles is an audacious, wildly funny, completely unpredictable novel by a writer so singular that it's hard to compare her to anyone else. Rufi Thorpe writes wildness so well, the messiness of the choices we make, the strange ways we bend and twist ourselves to accommodate those choices, and she does it with the rare qualities of tenderness and empathy. An absolutely brilliant book." — Kevin Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of Nothing to See Here
“A hilarious novel about making the most of what you’ve got. Sharp and funny by turns, this is an exceptionally tender look at young motherhood and love that also involves professional wrestling, and yes, OnlyFans. I gobbled it up.” — Emma Straub, New York Times bestselling author of This Time Tomorrow
“The most captivating narrative of motherhood, sex work, point of view, and regret. I’m obsessed!” — Leila Mottley, New York Times bestselling author of Nightcrawling
"A thrilling, uproarious, and above all affirming exploration of one young woman's fight to make it in a world that's rooting against her. Margo is an unforgettable heroine, so real she walked right off the page and into my heart." — Kirstin Chen, New York Times bestselling author of Counterfeit
"Long after the last page of Margo’s Got Money Troubles, I think of certain lines and bust out laughing. In public. This novel is damn funny, but also touching and smart and surprising and beguiling and just completely bad ass. Rufi Thorpe is truly one of one!" — Deesha Philyaw, award-winning author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies
“Rufi Thorpe is one of the most talented and daring novelists at work today. Thorpe takes a young, single mother's desperation and weaves from it a madcap, remarkable family of misfits. Margo’s Got Money Troubles is just so good: the humor, the pathos, the redemption—every sentence, every twist of plot is wildly original and unexpected. When has such a lovable heroine ever been created? Reading Margo’s Got Money Troubles is a joy; you will fall in love on page one.” — Stephanie Danler, New York Times bestselling author of Sweetbitter
“Margo is my favorite character that I’ve read in so long. So funny!” — Emma Straub, on The Today Show
“Hilarious and human … [Thorpe’s] superpower is writing ordinary people as fascinating and wildly unpredictable. In Margo’s Got Money Troubles, you never really know what the characters are going to do, which makes the book hard to put down and fun to read. But like the best comedies, it also illuminates life’s most inescapable ironies.” — The Post and Courier
“Simultaneously irreverent and earnest, Thorpe analyzes contradicting social mores in an immersive and thoroughly entertaining way. Margo’s charming voice is the perfect vehicle for modeling the power gained by fashioning your own story in defiance of the criticism and dictates of others.” — Booklist
“Tender and offbeat. . . Thorpe infuses the portrayal of Margo and Jinx’s relationship with sweetness, and she makes Margo a character to root for as the young mother learns how to support herself with help from her unconventional family. Once this gets its hooks into the reader, it doesn’t let go.” — Publishers Weekly
“When I finished it, I couldn’t quite believe it was over, that is how much I was completely rapt by Margo’s Got Money Troubles. A brilliantly unique story, fallible and lovable characters and moments so human and hilarious that I laughed out loud multiple times. I can’t quite believe this is only the first book I’ve read by Rufi Thorpe, because after reading her latest novel, it’s clear that I need to go back and read everything she’s ever written. She is a genius, after all.” — Ore Agbaje-Williams, author of The Three of Us
“A wholly original tale that manages to build a deliciously immersive fictional world full of intriguing characters while blatantly questioning notions of storytelling, and to offer serious challenges to ideas about young mothers and sex work while being wryly and often inappropriately funny.” — The Times (UK)
“I cannot stop telling people about this weird and wonderful gem of a book. It’s so completely different than anything I’ve ever read. … This book was so singular and full of heart and I fell hard for both the titular Margo and her father, Jinx. If nothing else, read it for the last line alone, which FLOORED me. My prediction is this will be the Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow of 2024, so if that’s your jam, get in on the ground floor.” — Book Enthusiast
