Margo's Got Money Troubles

Rufi Thorpe infuses many details from her life and experiences into the characters and themes that populate her books, including Margo’s Got Money Troubles. Though the novel is fictional, it shares many similarities with Thorpe’s life. Thorpe grew up in Southern California as the only child of a single mother—this is something she shares with Margo Millet, the protagonist of this book (“Bio.” Rufi Thorpe). Additionally, Thorpe was conceived as the result of a one-night stand, just like Margo (McClellan, Martin. “Talking to Rufi Thorpe about Writing, Understanding People, and Iris Murdoch, by Martin McClellan.” The Seattle Review of Books, 29 Apr. 2020). Like Margo, Thorpe, too, has experience waitressing (“Bio”). However, in the novel, it is Margo, rather than Shyanne (Margo’s mother), who echoes Thorpe’s mother’s parenting style. Thorpe has talked about how her grandmother was not a good parent, and her mother had to struggle through parenting Thorpe alone in the early years (McClellan); this dynamic is reminiscent of the relationship between Shyanne and Margo in the book.