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Anita and Me: the plot
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Meera Syal's novel is narrated by Meena Kumar, the daughter of Punjabi Indian parents, growing up in the fictional village of Tollington, near Wolverhampton, in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Meena and Anita
Meena is nine at the start, and her family is the only Indian family in the village. She longs to fit in and to be noticed by Anita Rutter, a bold, older, tough girl.
Meena tells lies and steals small things, partly to get attention. Anita takes her up as a sidekick.
Meena tells lies and steals small things, partly to get attention. Anita takes her up as a sidekick.
Growing tensions
Meena's grandmother Nanima comes from India to help after Meena's baby brother Sunil is born. She helps Meena feel proud of her Indian roots.
Racist attitudes grow in the village. Sam Lowbridge, a local youth Meena once admired, makes a racist speech at a village event, and with Anita, later attacks an Indian man.
Shocked, Meena falls from a horse, breaks her leg and spends time in hospital, where she befriends a boy called Robert, who dies.
Racist attitudes grow in the village. Sam Lowbridge, a local youth Meena once admired, makes a racist speech at a village event, and with Anita, later attacks an Indian man.
Shocked, Meena falls from a horse, breaks her leg and spends time in hospital, where she befriends a boy called Robert, who dies.
Leaving childhood
Meena studies hard and passes the eleven-plus exam for grammar school.
She sees Anita's cruelty and Sam's racism clearly and realises she does not need Anita's approval.
Her family leaves Tollington, and Meena feels she is finally becoming herself.
She sees Anita's cruelty and Sam's racism clearly and realises she does not need Anita's approval.
Her family leaves Tollington, and Meena feels she is finally becoming herself.
What kind of novel is Anita and Me?
- It follows Meena as she grows up and learns who she is.
- Novels about a young person's growth are called bildungsromans (coming-of-age novels).
- Meena ends the book wiser and more confident in her identity.
Answer: A coming-of-age novel (bildungsroman) narrated by Meena.
Meena wants Anita's friendship, Nanima's visit strengthens her identity, racism rises (Sam Lowbridge), the hospital and Robert, the eleven-plus, and Meena outgrows Anita as the family leaves Tollington.
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