Book Review: Margaret and the Mystery of the Missing Body
Megan Milks' 2021 mystery novel blends coming-of-age realism with surrealist horror to explore adolescence, gender, and identity.
By A’Riel King
Margaret and the Mystery of the Missing Body, written by Megan Milks, is more than a coming-of-age novel. The book also serves as a criticism of cisheteronormative expectations, a treasure box filled with haunting memories of teenage adolescence, and a grotesque horror novel all intertwined eccentrically. These themes are spread throughout three phases of the book. Phase one involves the protagonist Margaret’s life as a female-presenting preteen, phase two contains Margaret’s life as a dysmorphic teenager, and phase three is Margaret’s life inside an eating disorder treatment center, with all three phases honing an underlying theme.
Yet, these phases are told non-periodically. The readers are introduced to the protagonist teenager, Margaret Worm, who is trapped amid the second phase of teenage angst. Their club, Girls Can Solve Anything (a slight homage to The Babysitters Club), had just dramatically ended, and their mind was consumed with the unadaptable 90s expectations of being a teenage girl. However, before their angst is explored further, the narration quickly transports the audience into the perspective of phase one preteen Margaret, whose only worries were solving mysteries with their club and staying up to date with the latest pop culture obsessions.
The audience is immersed in the comfort relatability of childhood innocence as the book explores Margaret and their friends’ mystery case of stolen butterfly wings. Margaret’s presentation completely strays from the typical representation of a girl in the 90s. They are brass, codependent, slightly awkward, chubby, and care more about the latest Fiona Apple album than boys. Their presentation is juxtaposed with their friend Gretchen, who is popular and boy-crazy. Yet, the writing doesn’t imply that either presentation of traditional girlhood is wrong. Both Margaret and Gretchen are well-liked within their friend group and even begin to find an endearing quasi-platonic liking for each other.
Margaret’s feelings for Gretchen, their first queer awakening, are deserted as the book suddenly shifts from realistic fiction to body horror. It is revealed that the lady who stole the butterfly wings was conducting a science experiment to turn herself into a butterfly. The revelation that she is purposefully transforming herself into a butterfly, whilst a form of body horror, isn’t the only horrifying component. The true horror is in why she does it: she would rather live in an insect’s body than live in her own. The woman shares a similar build with Margaret and blames all her failures on her body, reinforcing the grim and unrealistic standards of 90s beauty. The case concludes with Margaret beginning to view themselves negatively, which introduces the theme of phase one: society’s influence on female-presenting identity.
The next mystery case that the club solves, the case of a woman who loses her body, is juxtaposed with scenes of Margaret in phase two, now a lonely teenager obsessed with calories and body image. The disappeared body case is another instance of the author’s use of body horror to explore the effects of the patriarchy further. This case plays a significant role in the story, as the woman who lost her body represents Margaret, who has lost their sense of identity between phases one and two.
The juxtaposition of the two phases reveals Margaret’s controlling personality, which wasn’t as present in the previous scene. They become very dedicated to the missing body case in phase one and counting calories in phase two. Margaret’s overcontrolling demeanor leads to the dramatic fallout of the club, which results in Margaret spiraling throughout phase two. Their perception of friendship becomes twisted as food dominates every thought they have. Similar to how the woman lost control of her body, Margaret loses control of their life, leading to a horrific car crash that results in not just an overnight hospital stay but a voluntary stay in an eating disorder treatment center. Phase two represents the loss of identity and the troubles that arise from it.
Phase three blends the whimsical childhood experience from phase one and the teenage melodrama from phase two as Margaret navigates new friendships and social constructs within the treatment center. Margaret finds themselves competing with the other patients, constantly wanting to come across as “sicker,” yet not sick enough for the nurses to intervene. This scene portrays the effects of the patriarchy and capitalism, where female-identifying people are forced to compete with each other to gain privilege whilst following gender roles forced upon them.
The competition between the patients leads to both a physical and mental transformation for Margaret, as the patients find themselves trapped inside someone’s body during a mystery case. Being trapped inside the body represents Margaret being trapped within the web of social constructs. Due to their androgyny, build, and lack of interest in men, Margaret spends the entire novel not understanding where they fit within traditional girlhood, which impacts how they view their own body.
Being trapped inside someone’s disordered body awakens something in them, as Margaret discovers freedom, they have to combat the limitations placed upon them. Towards the end of phase three, Margaret transforms into a newer, yet not utterly unrecognizable, version of themselves. They no longer identify as a girl and become more empathetic and unrestrained toward situations that younger them would have attempted to control. Although Margaret still struggles with body image and eating, they begin to feel free from having to comply with gender roles. This ties into the theme of phase three, combating the patriarchy and transformation.
Milks’ blending of body horror, mystery, and teenage fiction throughout the story is meant to ease the audience into the relatability of being female-presenting in a cisheteronormative world before haunting the readers with the effects of cisheteronormativity. The phases all lead up to the overall message of Margaret and the Mystery of the Missing Body: being your authentic self despite the limits of patriarchy.
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