Anita and Me

Meera Syal’s novel Anita and Me is set in the fictional English village of Tollington in the 1970s. It tells the story of nine-year-old Meena Kumar, the daughter of Indian immigrants, as she attempts to define her personal identity, marked by her Indian background and the small-town, English society in which she grows up.

At the beginning of the novel, Meena is caught telling a lie to her father. She finally admits to taking money from her mother to buy sweets, which leaves Meena’s father furious. Although Meena is close to her parents, she often finds herself lying and wanting to rebel. Her family includes a series of acquaintances whom Meena calls “Aunties” and “Uncles”—friends who are not actually relatives but who come to Meena’s house on a regular basis. Although this community makes Meena feel loved, she also feels pressure to conform to a traditional image of an Indian girl: pleasant and polite, when she wants to spend time outdoors and play sports.

When Meena meets thirteen-year-old Anita Rutter, everything changes. She is amazed at Anita’s ability to speak her mind. Anita is known for being the leader of a group of two friends, Sherrie and Fat Sally; Meena soon becomes one of Anita’s followers. She is honored to be spending time with an older girl. At the same time, Meena finds that Sam Lowbridge, a sixteen-year-old boy who is considered the town rebel, is kind to her, despite their age difference.



As Meena gets older, she starts to notice things she didn’t before. She hears someone refer to herself and her mother as “bloody wogs,” which serves as her first indirect encounter with racism. At school, she notices that she is sometimes treated differently, especially after a boy in her class is relieved at being paired up with Fat Sally instead of her. Although Meena wants to talk to her parents about it, she does not want to burden them or bring up bad feelings, certain that they must have encountered racism all of their lives.

Meena continues to act out at home, getting in trouble when she uses the same foul language as Anita, shocking her entire family. Meena and Anita start spending a lot of time together and convince younger children to form a gang. Meena initially enjoys their games but one day is shocked to see Anita and other young children pick on Anita’s sister, Tracey. Shocked by this public humiliation, Meena concludes that people cannot be trusted, as they turn on their friends to humiliate them. Before Tracey runs away, Meena notices bruises on Tracey’s thighs, suggesting that she is being sexually abused.

Things come to a head between Meena and Anita when they attend Fete, a party organized by the wealthy Mr. Pembridge. At the party, Sam Lowbridge loudly voices his hatred of “wogs,” and members of the crowd cheer in support. Meena had thought Sam was her friend and is shocked both by his behavior and by the fact that local villagers agree with him. She suddenly realizes that some people harbor racist beliefs. As Meena walks away, Anita stops her, commenting on Sam’s good looks. Outraged, Meena calls Anita stupid, which puts a strain on their friendship.



Meena resolves to distance herself from Anita’s bad influence, to focus on her family, and to devote herself to her studies—in particular, the preparation for the eleven-plus exam, which might allow her to go to a good grammar school and move out of Tollington.

Meena isolates herself to study, however, on the eve of the exam, when Meena’s parents are out, Tracey comes knocking on Meena’s door. She urges Meena to follow her, saying that someone is trying to kill her sister. Meena follows Tracey to the Big House, where she sees Anita and Sam having sex—a physical act that Tracey has interpreted as violence. Unable to contain her rage at discovering that Anita actually wants to have sex, Tracey attacks her and the two run off, chasing each other.

Sam then calls out to Meena, telling her that he has always had feelings for her. Meena tries to communicate to him that he has hurt her feelings, but Sam argues that he only ever meant to target “others.” Tracey suddenly appears, running to attack Sam. In doing so, she accidentally
falls in the pond. Realizing that the three have the potential to ruin her life, Meena decides to keep her distance.



By the end of the novel, Meena succeeds at her eleven-plus exam and her family moves out of Tollington. The entire family is happy to move out of this community and to live in a new, more diverse neighborhood. Eager to say a few last words to Anita, Meena leaves her a note, but never receives any response.