Greta and Valdin Summary, Characters and Themes

Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly is a sharp, tender, and darkly funny novel that follows the intertwined lives of two siblings navigating the chaos of love, identity, and family. 

Set between Auckland, New Zealand, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, the story explores the complexities of queerness, multiracial heritage, and the messy, beautiful entanglements of adulthood. Greta and Valdin, fiercely bonded yet struggling with their own emotional baggage, find themselves grappling with heartbreak, unrequited love, career frustrations, and the eccentricities of their Russian-Māori-Catalonian family. With wit, heart, and irresistible charm, Reilly crafts a story about growing up without ever fully growing apart.

Summary

Greta Svava Valdinova Vladisavljevic and her brother Valdin Valdinovich Vladisavljevic live together in a modest apartment in Auckland, New Zealand. Both in their late twenties, they are tangled in the peculiar limbo between young adulthood and full-fledged maturity, trying to navigate the turbulence of their personal and professional lives. 

Their bond is both their greatest strength and their most suffocating crutch, as they rely heavily on each other while struggling to define their identities beyond the sibling dynamic.

Valdin works at a university, the only Māori staff member in his department, often feeling like an outsider both culturally and emotionally. It’s been a year since his breakup with Xabi, his charismatic, emotionally distant ex-boyfriend who moved to Buenos Aires. 

Despite claiming he’s moved on, Valdin carries the weight of unresolved feelings, numbing his loneliness through casual hookups with a friend whenever he feels particularly adrift. His life feels stagnant—comfortable yet hollow.

Greta, on the other hand, is an arts academic juggling the emotional drain of a master’s thesis she secretly suspects is pointless and a relationship with her girlfriend, Ell, a grounded, intelligent PhD student from Scotland. 

Greta’s wit and intellectual sharpness often mask her deep insecurities and fear of emotional vulnerability. 

While she enjoys the safety of her routine, she’s haunted by a lingering crush and the gnawing anxiety that she’s failing both professionally and personally.

Their family is as eccentric as it is overwhelming—a sprawling mix of Russian-Māori-Catalonian heritage that infuses their lives with both rich culture and relentless drama. 

Their parents are flamboyant and often emotionally exhausting, their siblings are chaotic in their own right, and their extended family gatherings are a battleground of exaggerated stories, passive-aggressive comments, and tender moments of unexpected connection. 

One particularly explosive dinner scene highlights Valdin’s frustration with his father’s embellished childhood tales, revealing the simmering tensions beneath their family’s quirky facade.

The plot takes a dramatic turn when Valdin’s job sends him on an assignment to Buenos Aires, thrusting him back into Xabi’s orbit. This impulsive journey becomes a pivotal moment of self-confrontation. 

Reuniting with Xabi is bittersweet—filled with nostalgia, unspoken words, and the painful realization that some relationships, no matter how meaningful, are better left in the past. Valdin is forced to face the truth: he’s been using the ghost of this relationship to avoid dealing with his own emotional stagnation. 

Buenos Aires, with its vibrant chaos, becomes the backdrop for Valdin’s reluctant growth as he begins to untangle his identity from the shadows of lost love.

Meanwhile, Greta is left to manage her own crises back in Auckland. Without Valdin’s constant presence, she’s forced to confront the emotional voids she’s been avoiding. Her relationship with Ell becomes strained as Greta grapples with her fear of true intimacy. 

She reflects on her romantic past, her tendency to self-sabotage, and her deep-seated belief that she’s fundamentally unlovable. 

Through awkward academic conferences, drunken nights with friends, and quiet, introspective moments, Greta begins to peel back the layers of her own emotional armor.

The novel unfolds through alternating perspectives, allowing readers to dive deep into both Greta and Valdin’s inner lives. 

Their struggles with queerness, cultural identity, and mental health are explored with raw honesty and biting humor. The narrative doesn’t rely on dramatic plot twists; instead, it’s the small, seemingly mundane moments—the awkward family dinners, the late-night texts, the unspoken tensions—that carry profound emotional weight.

Despite the physical distance between them, Greta and Valdin’s bond remains the emotional core of the story. 

Their texts and sporadic phone calls are filled with the same dry humor and affection that define their in-person interactions. When Valdin returns to Auckland, both siblings are irrevocably changed. 

They’ve confronted their fears, faced heartbreak, and realized that their codependency, while comforting, has also been holding them back.

In the final chapters, Greta and Valdin sit with the uncomfortable truth that growth often means letting go—not of each other, but of the versions of themselves that no longer serve them.

Their relationship doesn’t dissolve; instead, it evolves. They acknowledge their flaws, their emotional baggage, and the ways they’ve both helped and hindered each other. Through tears, laughter, and the chaotic backdrop of their family’s latest drama, they find solace in the one constant in their lives: the messy, unconditional love they share as siblings.

Greta & Valdin concludes not with neat resolutions but with the beautifully imperfect understanding that life is a continuous process of becoming. 

It’s a celebration of queer identity, the complexity of family, and the bittersweet beauty of learning to stand on your own—even when your heart is forever tethered to the people you love most.

Characters

Greta Svava Valdinova Vladisavljevic

Greta is a complex character, shaped by her insecurities, intellectual pursuits, and complicated romantic entanglements. As an arts academic, she is intelligent and reflective but often struggles with self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy.

Her relationship with her girlfriend, Ell, is a central aspect of her life, though Greta’s deep fear of emotional vulnerability often causes tension between them. Throughout the novel, Greta is forced to confront her tendency to sabotage her own happiness, whether through her hesitance to fully engage in her relationship with Ell or her questioning of her academic and personal achievements.

Despite these struggles, Greta’s character arc reflects growth—she learns to navigate her fear of intimacy and begins to embrace emotional honesty. Her sibling relationship with Valdin, though sometimes fraught with codependency, remains a source of comfort and growth for her, providing a grounding force as she faces her personal challenges.

Valdin Valdinovich Vladisavljevic

Valdin, Greta’s brother, is emotionally complex, grappling with his past relationships, cultural identity, and the weight of unspoken emotions. At the outset of the novel, he is presented as emotionally stunted, particularly in relation to his former lover, Xabi.

Valdin’s decision to travel to Buenos Aires to reconnect with Xabi is a turning point in his character development. This journey is not just physical but deeply introspective, as he confronts his lingering feelings and the realities of his past relationship.

His emotional growth is central to the story—Valdin gradually learns to embrace his vulnerabilities, coming to terms with his heartbreak and cultural identity. His relationship with his family, particularly Greta, is marked by a deep bond, but also by a sense of emotional dependence.

Over the course of the novel, Valdin’s journey is about self-acceptance, letting go of the past, and finding his own path beyond his relationships and his family’s expectations.

Ell

Ell is a secondary yet important character in the novel. As Greta’s girlfriend, she provides a sense of stability and grounding that contrasts with Greta’s emotional turbulence.

Ell is portrayed as practical, intelligent, and emotionally more stable than Greta, yet she too has her own struggles, particularly in her relationship with Greta. While Greta often hides behind her intellect, Ell challenges her to confront her emotional fragility.

Their relationship, marked by moments of tenderness and tension, forces Greta to examine her fears of intimacy and vulnerability. Ell’s character, though not as deeply explored as Greta or Valdin, serves as a catalyst for Greta’s growth, offering a mirror to Greta’s insecurities and providing the emotional support Greta needs to begin her journey toward greater self-awareness and emotional honesty.

Xabier (Xabi) Alonso

Xabi, Valdin’s ex-boyfriend, plays a pivotal role in Valdin’s emotional journey. While he is not a central character in the story, his lingering presence in Valdin’s life serves as a key element of Valdin’s struggle with the past.

Xabi represents unfulfilled love, nostalgia, and unresolved emotional turmoil. Their reunion in Buenos Aires forces Valdin to confront the emotional weight of their past relationship.

Through his interactions with Xabi, Valdin realizes that some relationships, while meaningful, belong in the past. Xabi’s role is instrumental in Valdin’s growth—he helps Valdin come to terms with his feelings, and in doing so, allows Valdin to let go of the emotional baggage that has been holding him back.

Themes

Sibling Codependency and Its Impact on Personal Growth

One of the central themes in Greta & Valdin is the deeply rooted bond between the two siblings, Greta and Valdin. This codependent relationship plays a pivotal role in both characters’ emotional journeys.

The intricacies of their siblinghood provide both comfort and conflict, as their closeness sometimes becomes a barrier to their individual growth. Greta and Valdin are each other’s confidants, but their shared history often causes them to be entangled in each other’s personal struggles.

Their emotional reliance on one another stifles their ability to navigate life’s challenges independently. As the narrative progresses, the siblings’ journey toward self-discovery and emotional maturity is shaped by their need to balance their familial connection with the desire for personal autonomy.

Through their separation—Valdin’s trip to Buenos Aires and Greta’s time alone—both characters learn to let go of the suffocating aspects of their bond and move towards healing. Their evolving relationship exemplifies how family can be both a source of solace and a hindrance to one’s development.

The Struggle of Navigating Queer Identity Within the Constraints of Cultural Expectations

The exploration of queer identity in Greta & Valdin goes beyond the mere representation of non-heteronormative relationships. It delves deeply into the complexities that arise when one’s sexual orientation intersects with family expectations and cultural heritage.

Both Greta and Valdin are not only navigating their own romantic entanglements but are also trying to reconcile their queerness with the values passed down from their Russian-Māori background. This dual struggle reveals how cultural and familial obligations can be in direct tension with one’s personal desires and self-acceptance.

Valdin, in particular, is burdened by his emotional turmoil, as his past relationship with Xabi complicates his understanding of love and identity. Meanwhile, Greta faces similar challenges with her partner Ell, as she balances her intellectual persona with her vulnerability and desire for intimacy.

The novel highlights how the process of self-acceptance, especially within the queer community, can be fraught with tension when it is compounded by the weight of cultural heritage and familial expectations. Greta and Valdin’s journeys underscore the importance of embracing one’s queerness while simultaneously challenging the boundaries of what family and culture impose on individual expression.

Love, Family, and Identity in an Eccentric, Multiracial Context

Another critical theme in Greta & Valdin is how love, identity, and family dynamics are shaped within the context of a multiracial, multicultural family. The Vladisavljevic family, with its Russian-Māori-Catalonian background, becomes a rich tapestry through which the protagonists’ identities are formed and tested.

The novel does not just use this background as a cultural backdrop but as a vital aspect that influences how each character perceives themselves and their relationships. Greta and Valdin’s multiracial identity plays a crucial role in how they navigate their personal struggles, particularly in terms of belonging and self-worth.

The family’s eccentricities—manifested through their dramatic, unpredictable gatherings—serve as a reflection of the complexity and fluidity of identity in a world that demands categorization. The novel’s exploration of love is also intricately tied to this backdrop, as the characters grapple with what it means to love and be loved within a cultural and familial framework that is constantly in flux.

The blending of cultures creates moments of joy, but also profound tension, as the siblings and their family members struggle to maintain a sense of unity while contending with individual desires and generational divides.

Emotional Vulnerability as a Pathway to Self-Discovery and Healing

Emotional vulnerability is a key theme in Greta & Valdin, intricately woven into the characters’ development throughout the story. Both Greta and Valdin’s emotional arcs are defined by their ability—or inability—to confront their own vulnerabilities.

Greta’s intellectualism often shields her from facing her insecurities, while Valdin’s reluctance to confront his feelings about his past relationship with Xabi keeps him stuck in a cycle of emotional avoidance. Their emotional growth is not a smooth or linear process, but rather one marked by moments of painful introspection, missed opportunities, and eventual breakthroughs.

Through their individual and shared journeys, the novel suggests that true healing and self-acceptance come from embracing one’s emotional vulnerability rather than suppressing it. For Valdin, his time in Buenos Aires and his eventual realization that his relationship with Xabi is in the past are pivotal moments of emotional reckoning.

For Greta, her struggles with Ell reflect her battle to allow herself to be seen and loved for who she truly is, flaws and all. The theme of vulnerability is therefore not just about exposing one’s emotions but also about accepting the discomfort that comes with it and finding strength in that discomfort.