Glitter Symbol in Greta & Valdin: Performance, Identity & Meaning
What Glitter Is in the Novel
Glitter appears in Greta & Valdin in two distinct forms. The first is literal: in the chapter titled Glitter, Valdin and his friend Slava sit on the kerb outside St. Kevins Arcade after leaving a bar where people were throwing glitter around. Slava spends much of their conversation rubbing glitter off his forearm, wiping it from his nose, and searching his hair for more. The second form is cosmetic: Greta wears glitter eyeshadow as part of her deliberate self-presentation, observed by the narrator in the chapter Plants (I) alongside her long wavy hair, lace camisole, and new perfume.
The word glitter also names an entire chapter, which signals that the symbol carries weight beyond its literal appearances. The chapter is Valdin's, and it centers on his conversation with Slava about his past relationship with Xabi, his history of not speaking in public, and his current sense of being better than he has ever been. The glitter that clings to Slava frames this conversation, suggesting that the chapter's real subject is the residue of identity—the traces of performance and social interaction that persist long after the moment has passed.
Glitter as Residue: The Chapter Glitter
In the chapter Glitter, the substance functions as a kind of residue. Slava keeps finding glitter on himself after leaving Saloon Bar, and the detail recurs throughout their conversation: he rubs it off his forearm, wipes it from his nose, and searches his hair. The glitter is a physical reminder of the night out, but it also suggests something about identity: the traces of performance and social interaction persist even after you have left the scene.
This residue metaphor extends to Valdin's conversation with Slava. Valdin recounts meeting Xabi for the first time three years earlier, when he did not talk in public and could not speak to strangers. The chapter's title frames this confession—Valdin's identity, like glitter, is something that clings to him, something he cannot fully shake off even when he wants to move forward. He tells Slava he is good now, better than he has ever been, but the chapter's glitter framing suggests that the past, like glitter, is not easily removed.
The glitter in this chapter also connects to queer nightlife culture. The bar where glitter was thrown is part of the social scene Valdin and Slava navigate, and the chapter includes references to clubs, karaoke, and the Family night they consider attending. Glitter is a marker of this world—a world of performance, play, and self-presentation that resonates with the novel's broader interest in queer love and commitment.
Greta's Glitter Eyeshadow: Self-Presentation and Gender
Greta's glitter eyeshadow appears in the chapter Plants (I), where the narrator observes her standing before the living-room mirror in a pale blue pantsuit. The narrator notes her long wavy hair, glitter eyeshadow, lace camisole, and new perfume and, when Greta asks if the pantsuit makes her look butch, answers no. This moment connects glitter to gender performance: Greta is deliberately assembling an appearance, and the glitter eyeshadow is part of a presentation that complicates rather than resolves questions of how she wants to be seen.
The scene is also about self-examination. Greta stands before a mirror, asking how she appears to others. The glitter eyeshadow is a small but telling detail in this self-assessment—it suggests a desire to be visible, to catch light, to be noticed. But the narrator's observation that she does not look butch, despite the pantsuit, points to the gap between intention and perception that runs through the novel's treatment of identity.
This connects to Greta's broader arc. Throughout the novel, she conceals her feelings—for Holly, for example—and presents a composed exterior while struggling internally. The glitter eyeshadow is part of that composed exterior, a surface that catches attention while the person beneath remains harder to read. In the chapter Gaze, Greta attends a university panel in clothes from the previous day, having slept on a friend's floor, and tries to appear composed while feeling anything but. The contrast between her glitter-adorned self-presentation in Plants (I) and her disheveled state in Gaze underscores how much of identity in this novel is a matter of surface performance.
Glitter and the Performance of Identity
Glitter's association with performance links it to several of the novel's central themes. The novel is deeply concerned with cultural identity and belonging, and glitter as a surface decoration contrasts with the deeper, often hidden histories that shape the characters. Valdin's family switches between Russian, Romanian, and English; Greta navigates her Māori and Russian heritage; and both siblings carry family secrets that complicate their sense of who they are. Glitter is what shows on the surface; identity is what lies beneath.
The symbol also connects to communication and emotional vulnerability. Valdin's history of not speaking in public is a central part of his character, and the chapter Glitter is where he finally articulates this history to Slava. The glitter that clings to Slava after the bar is a reminder that performance—social, gendered, cultural—leaves traces, even when the performer tries to move on.
For Greta, the glitter eyeshadow connects to how she navigates queer love and commitment. Her feelings for Holly, and later her relationship with Ell, are shaped by how she presents herself and how she is perceived. The glitter is part of a self-presentation that invites attention while also protecting her from being fully seen. In the chapter Fugitives, Ell expresses insecurity about her own appearance—she says she does not know how to use highlighter—and Greta reassures her that she looks like te marama, the moon. The exchange suggests that the novel is interested in how characters use appearance to communicate affection and vulnerability, and glitter is one small part of that larger pattern.
Study Questions
1. Why does the chapter Glitter focus on Valdin's conversation with Slava rather than on a scene involving glitter itself?
The chapter's title points to the residue of performance and identity that clings to characters long after social events. Slava's glitter-covered forearms and hair are physical traces of the night out, but the chapter's real subject is Valdin's past—his relationship with Xabi, his history of not speaking in public, and his current sense of being better. The glitter frames these confessions as things that cling to Valdin, much as glitter clings to Slava, suggesting that identity and history are not easily shed.
2. What does Greta's glitter eyeshadow reveal about her self-presentation in Plants (I)?
Greta's glitter eyeshadow is part of a deliberate assembly of appearance—pale blue pantsuit, long wavy hair, lace camisole, new perfume. When she asks if she looks butch, the narrator's no suggests that the glitter eyeshadow works against a straightforward reading of her gender presentation. The moment shows Greta actively constructing how she wants to be seen, while also revealing the gap between her intended presentation and how others perceive her.
3. How does glitter connect to the novel's treatment of queer nightlife and community?
The glitter thrown around in Saloon Bar is a marker of queer social spaces—spaces of performance, play, and self-presentation. Valdin and Slava navigate these spaces together, and the glitter that clings to Slava is a reminder of that world. The chapter's references to clubs, karaoke, and nights out connect glitter to a culture where identity is performed and where traces of that performance persist.
4. In what ways does glitter function differently for Valdin and Greta?
For Valdin, glitter is external—something thrown at him in a bar, something that clings to his friend. It represents the social world he navigates and the residue of identity that persists. For Greta, glitter is cosmetic—something she wears as part of her self-presentation. It represents how she chooses to appear to others. Both uses connect to performance, but Valdin's glitter is imposed from outside while Greta's is chosen.