A review by annoyedhumanoid
Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly

challenging emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

get ready to draw a family tree. Greta & Valdin acknowledges the complexity of its cast by prefacing with a character list, but even that's not enough to fully understand all the relationships.

i enjoyed the story lines of Greta and Valdin (the main characters). we're all such lovers, like truly what could be more important. despite complaining about its complexity, i admit to also liking the family drama. it felt like a telenovela but not tele, so just a novella, except it's a full-length novel, so really never mind. i feel the same about this book as i did with Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou: the execution was imperfect but the premise was so interesting and the atmosphere so unique that i will be on the lookout for similar books.

i didn't enjoy, though, how

Valdin could spend so much time away from his sister (and the rest of his family) without ever, in the text, thinking of her (or them) or offering a reason for ghosting. and then he comes back already like "I’m trying to be more responsible. I’m realising that just as many people rely on me as I rely on them" ("Mint")

. it was unrealistic and felt like asking for forgiveness from the reader without having earned it. i was also uncomfortable with just how quickly time passes (several weeks between chapters). what happened in the interim? surely at least one noteworthy interaction—what am i missing out on??