Rebecca K Reilly

Rebecca K Reilly
Born (1991-08-16) 16 August 1991 (age 33)
Waitākere City, New Zealand
Occupation
  • Novelist
EducationMaster of Arts, Victoria University of Wellington
Notable worksGreta & Valdin (2021)
Website
rkr.rodeo

Rebecca Kay Reilly (born 16 August 1991) is a New Zealand author. Her debut novel Greta & Valdin (2021) was a bestseller in New Zealand and received critical acclaim. It received the 2019 Adam Foundation Prize in Creative Writing, the Hubert Church prize for the best first book of fiction at the 2022 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards and the 2022 Aotearoa Booksellers' Choice Award.

Early life and education

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Reilly was born on 16 August 1991 in Waitākere City, West Auckland.[1][2] She is of Ngāti Hine and Ngāti Wai descent.[3]

Reilly completed a Master of Arts in Creative Writing at the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University of Wellington, where she was the 2019 recipient of the Adam Foundation Prize in Creative Writing for her debut novel, then titled Vines. It was subsequently renamed Greta & Valdin.[3][4] The novel took her a year and a half to write, although she had been collecting material for 14 years.[5]

Career

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Greta & Valdin was published by Victoria University Press in 2021. It is a novel about the family and romantic relationships of two siblings, both queer and of mixed Russian and Māori descent, and set in Auckland. Reviewer Hannah Tunnicliffe for Stuff said Reilly "fuses socio-political commentary with humour, making Greta & Valdin both smart and funny."[6] Ash Davida Jane called it "the best novel of the year".[7] Becky Manawatu praised "the tenderness Reilly achieves through her love for these characters, which translates page by page, word by word, to a love of people".[8] Rachel O'Connor for Landfall noted a level of "information overload" but concluded "there is much to enjoy in Greta & Valdin, and hopefully much more to come from its author, whose youthful, funny voice delivers a fresh and entertaining tour of life and love in Auckland's CBD".[9] Steve Braunias, in his list of the ten best New Zealand novels of 2021, ranked it as number one, calling it "the funniest and also the most original, enjoyable and best novel published in New Zealand in 2021".[10]

Greta & Valdin was shortlisted for the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction at the 2022 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards,[11] and was awarded the Hubert Church prize for the best first book of fiction.[12][13] Reilly was one of two Māori authors shortlisted for the Jann Medlicott award.[14] At the time of the shortlisting announcement it was the top book on the Nielsen best-seller books chart,[15] and The Spinoff books editor Catherine Woulfe noted that the novel "will win by miles if the judges are of a mind to nod to the national mood".[11] The book won the Aotearoa Booksellers' Choice Award at the 2022 Aotearoa Book Trade Industry Awards.[16] It was third on the list of New Zealand fiction bestsellers of 2022.[17]

In September 2022 Reilly was a judge, together with Harry Ricketts, of the Nine to Noon short story competition on Radio New Zealand.[18] In early 2023 it was reported that Greta & Valdin would be published by Hutchinson Heinemann in the UK in early 2024 and that US rights to the novel had also been sold.[19]

Greta & Valdin was published in the UK and USA on 6 February 2024. A review by The New York Times described it as a "generous, tender debut novel of family and self-acceptance" and "so brimming with life it can feel almost dizzying".[20] It was also listed as one of the best upcoming new books of 2024 by British magazines Dazed and Marie Claire, with the latter noting that the book had been a "huge hit" in New Zealand and that "such success very much deserves repeating".[21][22] In June 2024, the novel was shortlisted for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize.[23][24]

References

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  1. ^ "Information about the author". Rebecca K Reilly. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  2. ^ Reilly, Rebecca K. (10 July 2022). "The Sunday Essay: In memory of Waitākere City (1989-2010)". The Spinoff. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b ""Dazzling" comic novel wins VUW creative writing prize". Wellington Scoop. 11 December 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Greta and Valdin". Victoria University Press. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  5. ^ Gessler, Julia (16 December 2021). "People Of The Year: The Gleaming World Of Author Rebecca K. Reilly". Viva. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  6. ^ Tunnicliffe, Hannah (27 June 2021). "Book Review: Greta & Valdin, by Rebecca K Reilly". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  7. ^ Jane, Ash Davida (2 June 2021). "New releases from Unity Books: Debut novel 'unfairly good'". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  8. ^ Manawatu, Becky (26 July 2021). "Messy and Relatable: A Review of Greta & Valdin". The Pantograph Punch. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  9. ^ O'Connor, Rachel (1 August 2021). "Lives in Little Pieces". Landfall Review Online. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  10. ^ Braunias, Steve (16 December 2021). "Christmas: The best novels of 2021". Newsroom. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Surprises ahoy: presenting the 2022 Ockham finalists". The Spinoff. 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  12. ^ "2022 Awards". New Zealand Book Awards Trust. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  13. ^ Touma, Rafqa (11 May 2022). "Whiti Hereaka wins New Zealand's Ockham fiction prize for novel subverting Māori myth". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  14. ^ Corlett, Eva (2 March 2022). "'A really good sign': New Zealand book prize nominees distinguished by diversity". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  15. ^ Braunias, Steve (2 March 2022). "Craziest Ockham book awards ever". Newsroom. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  16. ^ Braunias, Steve (17 August 2022). "NZ's best young bookseller, 60". Newsroom. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  17. ^ Braunias, Steve (23 December 2022). "Bestselling books of 2022". Newsroom. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  18. ^ "Our Short Story Competition is back!". Radio New Zealand. 5 September 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  19. ^ Braunias, Steve (7 February 2023). "Kirsten goes to London". Newsroom. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  20. ^ Dunn, Eleanor (3 February 2024). "A Debut Novel About the Beautiful Chaos of Modern Young Adulthood". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  21. ^ Jarvie, Catherine (27 January 2024). "We've found the best books of 2024 to curl up with". Marie Claire UK.
  22. ^ White, Jessica (28 December 2023). "10 exciting books to look out for in 2024". Dazed. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  23. ^ Cooper-Fiske, Casey (18 June 2024). "'Eye-opening' time travel story shortlisted for debut fiction prize". The Standard. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  24. ^ Knight, Lucy (19 June 2024). "Six 'bold and playful' novels shortlisted for Waterstones debut fiction prize". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
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