Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Margo’s Got Money Troubles…people adore it. Apple is adapting it for TV. The gist: Margo is a 19-year-old community college student who gets pregnant by a professor. She decides to keep the baby. Yes, it’s a take on power and how people — particularly young ones — can find themselves in tough situations, yadda yadda. The aforementioned analysis is very true, but it’s sort of like saying this about a book: “It’s trying to say that everyone is equal.” Or, “We should love each other.” We know!!! (Or rather: Most of us know.)
I was intrigued by something else, though. Rufi Thorpe plays close to the edge with Margo’s Got Money Troubles — and it’s pretty smart. There’s not much that’s subtle about her characters’ externalities, so let’s assume that the author is playing with the idea of “trashy” (to use a character’s words, not mine) and seeing how far she could push it with readers to extract emotion. Because each example was sooo *extra*: a former pro wrestler opioid addict as a father, OnlyFans, the role of an overly gaudy and thematic AirBnb where Margo meets up w someone, a love of Arby’s, the oft-referenced “orange meal” of OJ and SunChips. All these things separately don’t feel ridiculous … just take a look at the headlines about teachers who turn to OnlyFans because they make more money there, or take a look at the statistics around opioid addiction in the US. I’m not saying “yay!” to these things; I’m just saying they’re realistic. But taken all together, there was a lot that many people would give a thumbs down to in the “taste” department. It feels odd to find something endearing while also gagging at the idea of SunChip detritus on fingertips.
I saw one review that compared Margo’s Got Money Trouble to a Kevin Wilson novel, and I 100% do *not* think they are the same besides their zippiness. In Nothing to See Here, we’ve got twins who spontaneously combust. But let’s get real…no one is magically catching on fire IRL. Is Margo a parable/fairy tale or real life? Let’s assume a magnified real life. Thorpe could’ve made this a lot more nuanced, but somehow she successfully forces readers to navigate their own side-eyes amidst an enjoyable read.
originally published on instagram