Greta in Greta & Valdin: Character Analysis of the Novel's Central Sibling

Overview

Greta Svava Valdinova Vladisavljevic is one of the two central siblings in Rebecca K. Reilly's Greta & Valdin. She is a university English tutor and a comparative literature master's student, navigating unrequited love, dating, and an uncertain academic future while acting as a steady emotional anchor for her brother Valdin. The novel alternates between Greta's and Valdin's perspectives, and Greta's chapters give readers a wry, self-aware, and deeply vulnerable view of contemporary queer life, family loyalty, and the search for belonging. Her full name—with its Russian and Icelandic echoes—signals the layered cultural identity she carries, and her story is as much about finding a place in the world as it is about finding a partner.

Plot Role and Narrative Function

Greta's plot role is to provide a counterpoint to Valdin's more dramatic romantic and professional journey. While Valdin travels to Argentina to confront his past with Xabi, Greta stays in Auckland, dealing with her own romantic entanglements, her thesis, and the everyday chaos of her extended family. She is the one who bakes a banana cake for Valdin's return, who helps her nephew Tang with his emotional crisis, and who eventually finds a stable, loving relationship with Ell after a painful infatuation with Holly. Her chapters ground the novel in domestic and academic settings, and her voice is often the most self-deprecating and funny. She also serves as a bridge between the novel's various threads: she connects the university world (where she tutors and studies) with the family world (where she is a daughter, sister, and aunt), and she is the character who most directly confronts the family's hidden histories, from her mother's past lover to her grandfather's refugee story.

Motivations and Traits

Greta is motivated by a desire for genuine connection and love, but she often sabotages herself by hiding her feelings. Early in the novel, she is in love with fellow tutor Holly, imagining Christmas with Holly's family, only to be crushed when Holly mentions her new girlfriend Sonja. She conceals her devastation and cries alone, a pattern of emotional suppression that recurs. She is fiercely loyal to her family, especially Valdin, and she is willing to put her own needs aside to support him—she encourages him to call Xabi, listens to his worries, and bakes him a cake for his return. She is also motivated by a need for financial and professional stability, as she struggles with money and the shrinking Russian department at her university. Her traits include humor, intelligence, emotional vulnerability, and a tendency to overthink. She is also shown to be physically affectionate and playful, as seen in her interactions with Ell, and she has a sharp, self-deprecating wit that often masks her insecurities.

Character Arc

Greta's arc moves from unrequited infatuation to a mature, reciprocal relationship, and from academic uncertainty to a tentative embrace of the future. Her early chapters are marked by a series of disappointing dates: she is stood up on a Tinder date in Wellington, goes on a date with a tax lawyer who dislikes music, and meets a girl at a party whose number she gets written on her arm. These encounters are often comedic but also reveal her loneliness and her tendency to settle for less than she deserves. The turning point comes when she meets Ell at a party and they begin dating. Ell is a biology PhD student, and their relationship develops quickly: they become intimate, Greta brings Ell to meet her family, and Ell supports her through her academic doubts. The climax of Greta's romantic arc occurs when Holly confronts her in the photocopying room, accusing her of being "hot and cold." Greta finally explodes, shouting "I don't want to be with you anymore!" and runs away, crying in Valdin's arms. This confrontation allows her to fully move on. By the end of the novel, Ell proposes a trip to Rakiura (Stewart Island) for the summer, and Greta accepts, signaling her willingness to commit to a new life. Her academic arc parallels this: she worries about her post-master's future, but her decision to go to Rakiura suggests she is open to possibilities beyond academia.

Relationships

Holly

Greta's relationship with Holly is the novel's central unrequited love. Holly is a fellow English tutor who treats Greta as a close friend, asking for help with posters and essays, while being oblivious to Greta's feelings. Greta's infatuation is painful and one-sided, and she eventually confronts Holly after Holly accuses her of being avoidant. The confrontation is cathartic, and Greta's decision to stop helping Holly marks a key step in her emotional growth.

Ell

Ell (Elizabeth Alexandra Livingstone) is Greta's eventual partner. They meet at a party, go on a date where Ell reveals her name, and quickly become intimate. Ell is a biology PhD student, and their relationship is marked by mutual respect and humor. Ell supports Greta through her academic doubts, introduces her to her science colleagues, and proposes a trip to Rakiura. Greta's relationship with Ell is the novel's most positive queer romance, and it allows Greta to be her authentic self.

Valdin

Greta's bond with her brother Valdin is the emotional core of the novel. They share an apartment, and their conversations are intimate and playful. Greta supports Valdin through his trip to Argentina, encourages him to call Xabi, and bakes him a cake for his return. Valdin, in turn, is there for her when she cries after the confrontation with Holly. Their sibling bond is a model of mutual support and understanding.

Family

Greta's relationships with her parents, brother Casper, and nephew Tang are also significant. She learns about her mother's past lover, which deepens her understanding of her mother's complexity. She helps Casper with Tang, who is struggling with a breakup and compulsive behaviors. She is also close to her father, who shares his own stories of love and loss. These family connections ground Greta in a larger narrative of hidden histories and cultural identity.

Key Decisions and Consequences

One of Greta's most consequential decisions is to stop helping Holly with her tutorials, which leads to the confrontation in the photocopying room. This decision allows her to break free from her unrequited love and move on with Ell. Another key decision is to support Valdin in his decision to call Xabi, even though she worries about him. This act of support strengthens their bond and allows Valdin to pursue closure. Greta also decides to help Tang talk to his father about his emotional struggles, demonstrating her role as a caring aunt. Finally, her decision to accept Ell's proposal to go to Rakiura signifies her willingness to embrace a committed relationship and a new future, moving beyond her past infatuations and academic uncertainty.

Thematic and Symbolic Connections

Greta's story connects to several of the novel's central themes. Family secrets and hidden histories are explored through her discovery of her mother's past lover and her grandfather's refugee story. Cultural identity and belonging are central to her experience as a queer woman of Russian and Māori descent, and she grapples with feeling like an outsider in both academic and social settings. Queer love and commitment are embodied in her relationship with Ell, which is portrayed as healthy and affirming. Communication and emotional vulnerability are key to her arc: she learns to express her feelings, first through her confrontation with Holly and then through her openness with Ell. Sibling bonds and family support are exemplified in her relationship with Valdin, who is her confidant and ally.

Symbolically, plants recur in Greta's chapters. She reads plant-care magazines, thinks about what plant she would be, and the apartment is full of plants. This motif suggests growth, nurturing, and the need for care. The banana cake she bakes for Valdin symbolizes her hope and her role as a caretaker. The leaf in her hair after her trip to Wellington hints at her connection to nature and her own hidden depths. At the wedding in the final chapter, she lies on a piano in an emerald brocade dress, a playful and performative image that captures her vibrant, unconventional spirit.

Five Questions and Answers

1. Why does Greta initially hide her feelings for Holly? Greta hides her feelings because she fears rejection and because Holly treats her as a close friend while dating others. She also worries that confessing would ruin their friendship and the academic support Holly provides. Her pattern of suppression is a defense mechanism that she must overcome to move forward.

2. How does Greta's relationship with Ell develop? They meet at a party where Greta gets her number written on her arm, go on a date where Ell reveals her name, become intimate, and eventually Greta brings Ell to meet her family. Ell supports Greta through her academic doubts and proposes a trip to Rakiura, which Greta accepts. Their relationship grows from a casual encounter to a committed partnership.

3. What does Greta's thesis topic reveal about her? Her thesis on the difference in perceptions of Soviet-era communism between Eastern bloc and Western texts reveals her interest in history, power, and cultural narratives. When asked for the answer, she jokes, "Poverty is bad, racism is bad, capitalism is not that great," which shows her political and social values and her tendency to use humor to deflect serious questions.

4. How does Greta support Valdin? She encourages him to call Xabi, listens to his worries about the trip, and bakes him a banana cake for his return. She also covers for him when he is away and worries about his safety, checking his flight status and feeling anxious when he doesn't arrive. Her support is both practical and emotional.

5. What does Greta's decision to go to Rakiura with Ell signify? It signifies her willingness to embrace a committed relationship and a new future. By accepting Ell's proposal, she moves beyond her past infatuations and academic uncertainty, choosing a life that includes love, adventure, and the possibility of a different kind of fulfillment. It is a hopeful ending for her character.

For more on the novel's themes, see our pages on family secrets and hidden histories, cultural identity and belonging, queer love and commitment, communication and emotional vulnerability, and sibling bonds and family support. You can also read the ending explained or browse questions and answers.