Vocabulary in Anita and Me

To stretch or twist the facts slightly so they are not quite accurate, without telling an outright lie. It is a softer way of admitting to being dishonest.

Excitingly attractive and impressive in a way that seems almost unreal or out of reach, often because of looks, confidence, or style.

Causing a deep, burning sense of embarrassment or shame, especially in front of others whose opinion matters to you.

A spice with a warm, earthy smell widely used in South Asian cooking. Here it stands for the Indian domestic world Meena both loves and feels embarrassed by.

Worn down at the edges so that loose threads stick out; used here to describe denim that is deliberately ragged and cool-looking rather than neat.

A fragrant spice used in Indian cooking and tea. In this text it represents the warm, familiar smell of Meena's home and her mother's world.

Patiently putting up with trouble, pain, or difficult people for a very long time without complaining. Meena rejects this quality as passive and dull.

Here used figuratively: constantly converting between two cultural worlds or ways of speaking, always slightly behind because you belong fully to neither.

Something worn or adopted so closely that it feels like part of you. Here it describes how Meena tries on other people's identities as if they were clothing.

Closed off from outside ideas and people; narrow-minded because of being isolated from the wider world. Used to describe Tollington's tight, inward-looking community.

Not to be fully trusted or believed. An unreliable narrator is one who admits, or whose story shows, that their account of events may be biased or inaccurate.

Describes a community whose members are tightly connected by shared habits, history, and mutual knowledge, making it hard for outsiders to fully belong.

The quality of appearing completely indifferent to what others think of you. Meena treats it as a desirable, almost magical power that Anita possesses.

Concerned only with your own benefit rather than others'. Here Meena uses it to mean that telling the truth can be a way of making yourself feel better at someone else's expense.

Pushed away or dismissed something, as if physically shaking it from your shoulders. Here it means Meena deliberately ignored her mother's affectionate concern.

Rehearsed or repeated something privately in order to get better at it. Meena secretly rehearses Anita's cool manner, hoping to master it.

A loose, knitted woollen jacket fastened at the front. Here it is a detail that evokes the cosy, slightly worn, safe atmosphere of Meena's home.

Feeling embarrassed or guilty about something connected to yourself. Meena feels ashamed of her own relief at being home, because part of her wants to reject that world.

The feeling that the world is in your debt — that life should give you things rather than the other way around. It describes Anita's attitude of entitlement and defiance.

Deserving the effort or attention required. Anita sizes people up to decide whether they are interesting or useful enough for her to spend time on.