Greta & Valdin: A Novel
"I come back to the apartment and find the worst thing in the world."
Greta & Valdin follows a pair of queer siblings: Greta, a PhD student with grand ambitions and quiet desperation, and Valdin, her obsessive-compulsive brother still entangled with his ex, through a labyrinth of late‑20s intimacy, identity, and self-doubt. Set in contemporary Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), the novel pulses with honesty and humor, sketching a world where everyday conversations crackle with meaning and the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
Rebecca K. Reilly’s debut is a vibrant blend of stream‑of‑consciousness, social commentary, and emotional vulnerability. It moves through flashbacks and live texts to reveal complex familial bonds, multiracial experience, and romantic yearning. Warm, witty, and achingly human, this is a story about finding home in other people, in language, and in yourself
📗 In The Mood For…
Being Entertained
A living room marvel of deadpan wit, sharp dialogue, and relatable sibling chaos.
✅ Sparkling, meandering humor anchored in everyday life
✅ Engaging voice that keeps readers turning pages, even when nothing major happens
Feeling Grounded
This novel feels deeply rooted in place: Auckland’s streets, cinemas, family dinners.
✅ Evokes familiarity through real setting and authentic cultural references
✅ Comfort arises from honest conversations and domestic messiness
📘 Stories About…
Connection & Solitude
Family isn't just background, it’s the emotional atmosphere, always shifting.
✅ Explores sibling intimacy, unspoken love, and the push-and-pull of relational closeness
✅ Alternating perspectives underline how much we hide and how much we share
Becoming & Belonging
Through academic frustration and romantic confusion, both Greta and Valdin search for themselves.
✅ Traces identity formation through belonging—cultural, romantic, sibling-based
✅ Highlights the nuanced emotional terrain of twenties identity and self-invention