Greta & Valdin
A Novel
By Rebecca K Reilly
Read by Natalie Beran, Jackson Bliss, Eilidh Beaton, Nico Evers-Swindell and Gary Furlong
Table of Contents
About The Book
A TIME MUST-READ BOOK OF THE YEAR • A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE • AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR
“A heartfelt portrait of a complex family.” —People • “Laugh-out-loud-funny.” —Harper’s Bazaar • “Quintessential rom-com meets the delicious family sprawl of a Russian classic.” —Vanity Fair
The “brilliant” (Daily Mail, London) bestseller that follows a brother and sister as they navigate queerness, multiracial identity, and family drama, all while flailing their way to love—for fans of Schitt’s Creek and Sally Rooney’s Normal People.
It’s been a year since his ex-boyfriend dumped him and moved from Auckland to Buenos Aires, and Valdin is doing fine. He has a good flat with his sister Greta, a good career where his colleagues only occasionally remind him that he is the sole Maaori person in the office, and a good friend who he only sleeps with when he’s sad. But when work sends him to Argentina and he’s thrown back in his former lover’s orbit, Valdin is forced to confront the feelings he’s been trying to ignore—and the future he wants.
Greta is not letting her painfully unrequited crush (or her possibly pointless master’s thesis, or her pathetic academic salary...) get her down. She would love to focus on the charming fellow grad student she meets at a party and her friendships with a circle of similarly floundering twenty-somethings, but her chaotic family life won’t stop intruding: her mother is keeping secrets, her nephew is having a gay crisis, and her brother has suddenly flown to South America without a word.
Filled with “kernels of humor and truth” (Elle) and with an undeniable emotional momentum that builds to an exuberant conclusion, Greta & Valdin careens us through the siblings’ misadventures and the messy dramas of their sprawling, eccentric Maaori-Russian-Catalonian family. An acclaimed bestseller in New Zealand, Greta & Valdin is fresh, joyful, and alive with the possibility of love in its many mystifying forms.
“A heartfelt portrait of a complex family.” —People • “Laugh-out-loud-funny.” —Harper’s Bazaar • “Quintessential rom-com meets the delicious family sprawl of a Russian classic.” —Vanity Fair
The “brilliant” (Daily Mail, London) bestseller that follows a brother and sister as they navigate queerness, multiracial identity, and family drama, all while flailing their way to love—for fans of Schitt’s Creek and Sally Rooney’s Normal People.
It’s been a year since his ex-boyfriend dumped him and moved from Auckland to Buenos Aires, and Valdin is doing fine. He has a good flat with his sister Greta, a good career where his colleagues only occasionally remind him that he is the sole Maaori person in the office, and a good friend who he only sleeps with when he’s sad. But when work sends him to Argentina and he’s thrown back in his former lover’s orbit, Valdin is forced to confront the feelings he’s been trying to ignore—and the future he wants.
Greta is not letting her painfully unrequited crush (or her possibly pointless master’s thesis, or her pathetic academic salary...) get her down. She would love to focus on the charming fellow grad student she meets at a party and her friendships with a circle of similarly floundering twenty-somethings, but her chaotic family life won’t stop intruding: her mother is keeping secrets, her nephew is having a gay crisis, and her brother has suddenly flown to South America without a word.
Filled with “kernels of humor and truth” (Elle) and with an undeniable emotional momentum that builds to an exuberant conclusion, Greta & Valdin careens us through the siblings’ misadventures and the messy dramas of their sprawling, eccentric Maaori-Russian-Catalonian family. An acclaimed bestseller in New Zealand, Greta & Valdin is fresh, joyful, and alive with the possibility of love in its many mystifying forms.
Reading Group Guide
This reading group guide for Greta & Valdin includes an introduction and discussion questions. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.
Introduction
A quirky, hilarious, and moving international bestseller, Greta & Valdin follows the titular sister and brother in their (misad)ventures in love and life. Greta is mourning an unrequited crush, Valdin is still reeling from a long-past breakup, and the other members of their extended family aren’t doing much better. Over the course of the novel, the Vladisavljevics learn the power of hidden histories and the even greater power of vulnerability. They also learn, with tenderness and humor, that they are stronger together—even in the wake of racism, xenophobia, and heartbreak.
Topics & Questions for Discussion
1. Would you say that the idiosyncrasies of Greta and Valdin’s Māori-Russian-Catalonian family play an important role in the novel? In what way? How do you think the siblings’ upbringing has affected their relationship with each other and other people?
2. So much of this book is about different types of love: love for one’s land and ancestors, love between siblings, love for family, love for old and new lovers, and love for languages. We see a variety of acts of love in this novel (for example, Valdin buying Greta flowers and “extravagant” items such as limes and feta). Is there one in particular that stayed with you and/or that you feel encompasses this story?
3. Greta & Valdin is told in alternating chapters between the two siblings. What did you think of the dual perspective, and how did it influence your reading experience? Do you think it was the right choice by which to tell this story?
4. The book is set in a very hot, very hilly Auckland and features specific New Zealand social, political, and cultural references that affect Greta’s and Valdin’s lives. Did you feel like Rebecca K Reilly managed to bring New Zealand alive in the novel without alienating non-NZ readers? What did you learn about life in Auckland and/or New Zealand through this story?
5. Greta & Valdin is a rare story of queer people finding happiness in love. Why do you think the author decided to give both siblings a happy ending, albeit under very different circumstances? What does the ending mean to you in the wider context of fiction about people in their twenties navigating romantic relationships?
6. Reilly’s sharp use of humor is one of the novel’s strengths, and there are several instances in which it serves as a way for both the characters and readers to work through moments of anger, sadness, and confusion. Can you think of a moment in the book where the writing gave you comfort?
7. Greta & Valdin is a refreshing portrayal of going through life’s motions while in your twenties. Throughout the novel, the siblings navigate unrequited loves, career challenges,
an unstable housing market, and plenty of family dramas. Did you relate to any of their experiences? Is there anything that struck you as particularly universal and/or unique to this novel?
8. If you had to choose one character in the Greta & Valdin universe to have dinner with, who would it be and why?
Introduction
A quirky, hilarious, and moving international bestseller, Greta & Valdin follows the titular sister and brother in their (misad)ventures in love and life. Greta is mourning an unrequited crush, Valdin is still reeling from a long-past breakup, and the other members of their extended family aren’t doing much better. Over the course of the novel, the Vladisavljevics learn the power of hidden histories and the even greater power of vulnerability. They also learn, with tenderness and humor, that they are stronger together—even in the wake of racism, xenophobia, and heartbreak.
Topics & Questions for Discussion
1. Would you say that the idiosyncrasies of Greta and Valdin’s Māori-Russian-Catalonian family play an important role in the novel? In what way? How do you think the siblings’ upbringing has affected their relationship with each other and other people?
2. So much of this book is about different types of love: love for one’s land and ancestors, love between siblings, love for family, love for old and new lovers, and love for languages. We see a variety of acts of love in this novel (for example, Valdin buying Greta flowers and “extravagant” items such as limes and feta). Is there one in particular that stayed with you and/or that you feel encompasses this story?
3. Greta & Valdin is told in alternating chapters between the two siblings. What did you think of the dual perspective, and how did it influence your reading experience? Do you think it was the right choice by which to tell this story?
4. The book is set in a very hot, very hilly Auckland and features specific New Zealand social, political, and cultural references that affect Greta’s and Valdin’s lives. Did you feel like Rebecca K Reilly managed to bring New Zealand alive in the novel without alienating non-NZ readers? What did you learn about life in Auckland and/or New Zealand through this story?
5. Greta & Valdin is a rare story of queer people finding happiness in love. Why do you think the author decided to give both siblings a happy ending, albeit under very different circumstances? What does the ending mean to you in the wider context of fiction about people in their twenties navigating romantic relationships?
6. Reilly’s sharp use of humor is one of the novel’s strengths, and there are several instances in which it serves as a way for both the characters and readers to work through moments of anger, sadness, and confusion. Can you think of a moment in the book where the writing gave you comfort?
7. Greta & Valdin is a refreshing portrayal of going through life’s motions while in your twenties. Throughout the novel, the siblings navigate unrequited loves, career challenges,
an unstable housing market, and plenty of family dramas. Did you relate to any of their experiences? Is there anything that struck you as particularly universal and/or unique to this novel?
8. If you had to choose one character in the Greta & Valdin universe to have dinner with, who would it be and why?
About The Author
Photograph by AMP Berry
Rebecca K Reilly
Rebecca K Reilly (Ngaati Hine, Ngaati Rehua Ngaatiwai ki Aotea), born 1991, is a Maaori novelist from Waitaakere, New Zealand. She has a BA (hons) in German and European studies from the University of Auckland and an MA from the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University of Wellington, where she won the Adam Foundation Prize in Creative Writing for 2019.
About The Readers
Natalie Beran
Jackson Bliss
Eilidh Beaton
Nico Evers-Swindell
Gary Furlong
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio (February 6, 2024)
- Runtime: 9 hours and 28 minutes
- ISBN13: 9781797170503
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Greta & Valdin Unabridged Audio Download 9781797170503
- Author Photo (jpg): Rebecca K Reilly Photograph by AMP Berry(0.1 MB)
Any use of an author photo must include its respective photo credit
