Anita & Me

ANITA & ME

by Meera Syal

 

Nominations: Dublin Longlist 1998, Women’s Prize Longlist 1997

 

Date Read: July 5, 2023

 

This coming of age novel set in a small English country village named Tottingham, explores the difficulties of growing up as a racial minority. Not only does Meena have all the challenges of growing up in general, but she also stands out as a girl whose family is from India. Although she was born in England and speaks with all the slang expected of a girl her age, she wants more than anything to just fit in.

 

Meena has a wicked streak so when she pairs up with Anita, a truly wicked girl, the rebellious streak in Meena becomes even more pronounced. They shoplift, steal charity, lie, bully local kids and generally act superior to everyone around them. Anita’s friendship, though, is always clearly conditional and superficial. The one thing Meena has going for her that Anita does not is that her family genuinely loves and cares about her.

 

Anita, and her younger sister Tracey, are generally left to their own devices. Their bored mother ups and leaves them one day for another man. Their father, Robert, works endlessly and is never around to monitor their comings and goings.

 

Not only does Meena have her family to keep her in line but she also has an endless parade of Uncles and Aunties who keep her in check and reinforce their cultural expectations. Even still, Meena continually disappoints her parents until several things become starkly clear. First, Anita realizes that Sam, a boy she has grown up with, has become a neo-Nazi and is against all people of color. Meena begins to realize that she may never fully belong no matter how British she is on the inside. Second, when Anita beings seducing Sam, Meena realizes their friendship was never important to Anita in the first place.

 

After breaking her leg in a horse riding accident, Meena is gone from her community for five months. When she returns, having had her first tragic boyfriend in hospital, she is able to let the betrayal go. More importantly, she is able to let her thirst for revenge go.

 

Although in the beginning I really didn’t like Meena’s character, watching her grow became really satisfying, especially at the end when she tells the police the truth about what happens to Tracey. A life changing read? No. A satisfying entertainment? Definitely.

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