Margo’s Got Money Troubles is a hilarious novel about the power of storytelling, the magic of making art, and how one memorable young woman adapts to a life that feels like doing origami with soggy paper.

Twenty-year-old Margot is forced to drop out of community college after becoming pregnant. The father, her married English professor, wants nothing to do with another child—he has two already—but Margot is stupidly brave and relentlessly optimistic. She’s determined to keep her baby, even if she hasn’t thought through the practicalities of her finances.

After the baby’s born, Margot loses her waitressing job and her rent-paying roommates. And her mother, a former Hooters waitress about to marry a boring but steady guy, expresses zero interest in offering support, whether financial or emotional.

In steps Margot’s estranged father—former pro-wrestling superstar, Jinx. Newly separated from his wife, Jinx is chronically unfaithful to women, a heroin addict in recovery, and temporarily homeless. He argues he and Margot need each other now that they’re, “Two aimless sailboats lost in the harbor.” Besides, not only can he pay rent, but Margot discovers he has talents at cooking, cleaning, and childcare. The more time they spend together, the more Margot connects with the lonely man hiding behind the wrestling persona he inhabits out in the world.

When Jinx mentions that one of his female colleagues makes great money on OnlyFans, an online site for sex workers, Margot sees her financial way forward. For a start, she’ll rate dicks—using Pokeman characters—and take arty photos of her boobs.

Her learning curve is steep until Jinx coaches her in the art of crafting compelling characters and explains how to file taxes. Before long, Margot is solvent and has found her community.

But when messages exchanged with an OnlyFans client cross into friendship, and someone reports her as an unfit mother, can Margot draw the line between what’s real and what’s fake to control her own narrative?