REVIEW • For The Jeff Goldblum Lovers (The Goldblum Variations by Helen McClory)

The essential companion for any fan of Jeff Goldblum, Hollywood’s most beloved and otherworldly icon

You like Jeff Goldblum. We like Jeff Goldblum. Helen McClory really likes Jeff Goldblum.

So lie back, Jurassic Park-style, and prepare to enjoy The Goldblum Variations, a collection of stories, musings, puzzles, and games based on the one and only Jeff Goldblum as he (and alternate versions of himself) travels through the known (and unknown) universe in a mighty celebration of weird and wonderful Goldbluminess.

Maybe he’s cresting the steep bluffs of a mysterious planet on an epic treasure hunt, maybe he’s wearing a nice sweater, maybe he’s reading from this very book. The possibilities are endless. Treat yourself . . . because all that glitters is Goldblum.

myreview

I received this book for free from Penguin Books for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

First sentence: “The Jeff Goldblum that lathes and sands down a pine table, brushing the grain with the heel of his hand, bends down and takes a spirit level to it, saying gently to the wood, well done, you.”

Jeff Goldblum—beloved actor, meme star, cultural icon—who in the world doesn’t like him?

However you feel about him, we can all agree he’s super beloved. So many people love his movies (Independence Day, Jurassic Park), the way he speaks and the sensuous nature of it, the look of his face in those thick black rimmed glasses, and just—I can go on and on. That’s what The Goldblum Variations plays on—our fascination with Jeff Goldbum.

In this bizarrely surreal yet soothing book, you meet Jeff Goldblums in all forms of life—what he would be doing in his everyday life like fold origami or being unable to find his glasses; the various job he may have in alternate universes like an artist in an underground bunker; cooking in a Twilight-esque zone; experience his many moods; the outfits he would wear; or “Choose Your Own Jeff Goldblum Jeffventure.” These snapshots—in the forms of poems, bingo cards, drabbles—are very weird, but it’s certainly not outside the realm of possibility.

This book may be thin, but it packs quite an imaginative punch to all things Jeff Goldblum related. It’s outlandish, but these are musings that every fan of him would wonder about him because they are trying to figure out who he is, and how he has managed to seduce people. It’s not hard to believe that he would be doing or saying things that are in this book.

Jeff Goldblum is a gem—this guy who has managed to mesmerize his audience and the people he’s worked with. The Goldblum Variations is a celebration about the wonders of Jeff Goldblum, and it’s brimming with so much love and wonder that you can feel emanating from the pages. It’s truly a delightful read, especially for all the Jeff Goldblum lovers.

I dare you to read this, and I bet you can 100% hear Jeff Goldblum’s voice and movement in these different universes.

Should you read The Goldblum Variations? It’s Jeff Goldblum, so yes.