Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe is a book I thought I would enjoy… but, guess what, I did not. Is something wrong with me? I have read so many popular “it” books over the last year, the kinds of books you might find on the featured table at a Barnes & Noble or at the Strand, the kinds that are nominated for book awards or featured on Goodreads, and I have been totally disappointed by almost all of them. Am I the problem? Too harsh a critic? What the hell are all of you smoking?
Reading this book was like watching whatever new quirky sitcom is featured on NBC’s Thursday night lineup. The revolving cast of characters felt like characters on a television show, each with weird “things” that make them “interesting,” when most of them were flat or grating. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that this book got picked up to be a show for Apple TV before it was even published! This book is a psych op. It’s like the author asked ChatGPT, “Can you please make me a book that combines all of the hottest/most relevant cultural topics into a quirky yet heartwarming story about a dysfunctional family?” and this is what was produced. And then “Can you turn that book into a script to pitch to the streaming service that my phone also is?”
It’s relatively readable, but it’s totally aimless for the most part. It hints at some interesting themes it barely explores. It plays with form just enough to say that it technically did it. It takes pages to describe the intricacies of how to play Fortnite, but I KNOW how to PLAY Fortnite, I play EVERYDAY!!!!! I think more books about sex workers should be written and popularized, but this felt like a YA version of that. This is Millenial nerd quirky lit at its finest, but for me that’s a bad thing, and I wish whoever enjoyed this book an excellent day.
2/5