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anita and me BY MEERA SYAL | THE NEW PRESS, 328 PAGES BY CHRISTINE MUHLKE little Meena Kumar is trapped between two cultures. The English-born child of Punjabi immigrants, she belongs to the only Indian family in the tiny town of Tollington, and it's a constant source of embarrassment to her. While her parents wish she could be like her cousins Pinky and Baby -- sweet, docile, school-loving Indian girls -- Meena's hyperactive imagination spurs her toward a life of drama, danger, blue jeans, garden gnomes and fish fingers. In other words, a life spent with neighborhood terror Anita Rutter. In this smart and hilarious debut novel from Meera Syal, best known as an actress and screenwriter ("Bhaji on the Beach"), we follow this young firecracker through Tollington's dirt yards, abandoned mines and slimy alleys as she lies, steals candy, affects a "yard" accent, worries her family sick and eventually comes to find comfort in her bicultural identity. Through Meena, Syal uses her comic gifts to great effect, making the kind of blisteringly honest observations that only a child can. She also captures the typical obsessions of childhood: the haunted house, what's really in Mrs. Todd's sequined pouch, the group hierarchies and the horror of innocently repeating naughty bits of conversation to adults. In one particularly funny scene, Meena, asked to perform "one of her own songs" during her father's party, does a blazing rendition of "We Wear Short Shorts," complete with gyrating "Top of the Pops" dance moves and a salwar kameez-tearing finale. When praised, she tells her aunties and uncles that she likes the song so much, she could, as a boy had told Anita that day, "shag the arse off it." Which brings us to Anita Rutter. With the face of a "pissed-off cherub," this 11-year-old tart-in-training is utterly fearless, a trait that enchants Meena, who longs to belong somewhere. Happily, when Anita looks at her, there is "only the recognition of a kindred spirit, another mad bad girl trapped inside a superficially obedient body." Together, they set off to show everyone that they're "too big and beautiful for Tollington." But when puberty takes possession of Anita, the true nature of their friendship reveals itself as racism floods the town. Syal's animated language pops off the page like a jeweled sari, making "Anita and Me" a great deal of fun to read. It's no surprise Syal is a talented screenwriter. It's no put-down to say that this book has the characters and the heart to make a very sweet picture. April 14, 1997 Christine Muhlke is the managing editor of Paper. BOOKMARK: http://www.salonmagazine.com/sneaks/sneak.html