In this captivating finale to The Goldberg Variations series, Jamie Goldberg faces the ultimate challenge of self-discovery and acceptance. After rejecting the gay sexual underworld that nearly consumed him, Jamie throws himself into his studies with renewed purpose. When cast as Horatio in a university production of Hamlet, his initial elation quickly turns to dismay upon learning his childhood bully, Ben, will play the lead role opposite him.
Desperate to escape confronting his true self, Jamie plunges into campus politics—only to clash unexpectedly with his activist mother who still cannot accept her gay son. His attempts at reinvention continue as he takes a temporary position at a right-wing bank, further alienating his liberal friends and roommate.
But Jamie’s carefully constructed evasions ultimately fail. Like Hamlet himself, Jamie must face the undeniable truth he has desperately concealed and rationalized. His greatest challenge becomes accepting what he finds “profoundly unacceptable” about himself.
With “humorous, approachable prose,” this wry and witty conclusion follows Jamie’s journey as he finally casts off the labels he’s been harnessed with since childhood to forge his own unique path. A powerful exploration of identity where, as Kirkus Reviews notes, “readers will no doubt see something of their own young selves” reflected in Jamie’s struggle.
