Gothic, horror suspense set on a “God-Forgotten” island off SCOTLAND
Novel set in AUCKLAND
19th January 2024
Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly, novel set in AUCKLAND, New Zealand.
Greta and Valdin is set in New Zealand’s multicultural capital, Auckland. It centres on three generations of one extended family. The narrators are Greta, a master’s student, and her older brother, Valdin. Their father is of Russian descent and their mother is Māori. Val has given up a career in physics that he trained for but hated. He has parted with his Catalan boyfriend, Xabi, and is resigned to looking for new love. Greta has a crush on Holly, a colleague, but seems to be giving off the wrong signals. She has changed direction and tried dating men instead. Other family members – parents, aunts and uncles, grandfather, cousins – turn out to have equally complex relationships. The book is widely acclaimed for its laugh-out-loud humour. I didn’t find this, but I would characterise it as having a wonderful wry humour, which I really enjoyed.
It would be incredibly difficult to slot the book into a particular genre – it is uniquely beautiful and enjoyable. For much of the book there is no obvious direction to the plot. The confidential tone of the characters’ narration allows us to get to know them and their individual personalities. They grow on you until you can’t do without them. The author examines the complex and intense relationships between all the family members, which are often very touching. It is a wonderfully intimate insight into their lives, their sexuality and perceptions of identity and belonging. And then things start to change, secrets come to light, and the delicate balance of the family’s bonds is threatened.
Although the book doesn’t have poetic or travel guide-style descriptions of the locations, it is nonetheless a deep dive into day-to-day life in Auckland (and a few other places that are visited along the way). The fact that you can apparently buy blueberry, lime and sake-flavoured ice cream in Auckland is almost a metaphor for the various traditions and observances of the residents. To add an extra dimension to your reading, keep your browser open to look up the phrases from various different languages that crop up.
Sue for the TripFiction Team
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