Nadia Vulvokov

Nadia Vulvokov

349
    Russian Doll

Character Analysis

(Avoiding Spoilers)

Grew Up... tumultuously. Nadia was raised by a single mom who struggled with severe mental health issues. Though Nadia loved her mother, their life together was frequently difficult. When her mom died at just 35 years old, Nadia went to live with family friend and psychologist Ruth Brenner.

Living... in New York City. Between her bohemian friends and her no-nonsense attitude, you might call Nadia the quintessential New Yorker. As she jokes, “It’s my bad attitude that keeps me young.”

Visiting... the same day over and over again. It all started on the night of her 36th birthday party, when Nadia was fatally struck by a taxi. Instead of dying, she woke up in her friend’s bathroom in the middle of her party. Each time Nadia dies (which happens pretty frequently these days), her time loop resets to that exact same point. It’s like her own personal Groundhog Day, only a whole lot more morbid. As Nadia puts it, "The universe is trying to f**k with me, and I refuse to engage.”

Profession... software engineer. Nadia is a coding genius who designs and develops video games, although she doesn’t play them herself.

Interests... cigarettes, recreational drugs, and her cat Oatmeal.

Relationship Status... single. Nadia had a long affair with John Reyes, a married man with a kid. Though John is currently divorcing his wife and clearly still cares for Nadia, she’s hesitant to commit to the high stakes of a real relationship with him. Instead, she’s more interested in casual hookups.

Challenge... breaking out of her time loop. Nadia approaches her surreal situation like a detective. Is it real or just in her head? Is the cause scientific or spiritual? And, assuming it’s real, why is it happening and how does she escape it? It’s a lot to wrap her head around, particularly when her investigations are frequently interrupted by her time loop resets. But everything changes when he meets a man named Alan Zaveri who seems to be going through the exact same experience.

Personality... sarcastic, self-possessed, frank, and funny. Nadia is a no-nonsense broad with a dark sense of humor and a flippant attitude about life. As she jokes, “Fun is for suckers. Staring down the barrel of my own mortality always beats fun.” She has a warm, funny side that’s earned her plenty of friends, but she also has loner tendencies and a fear of commitment. Nadia’s glib attitude masks dread that she might one day develop the same mental health issues as her mother. Being stuck in a trippy time loop isn’t doing a lot to assuage those fears.

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