Minor Characters
Mr. Worrall
Mrs. Worrall’s sick husband is unable to move or communicate. However, despite not understanding Punjabi, he immediately connects with Nanima and Meena concludes that the two old people understand each other through their grunts.
Roberto
Anita and Tracey’s father’s personality remains largely unknown. He works at a tire factory and is probably the author of the sexual violence against Tracey, although this remains undetermined.
Mrs. Christmas
Mrs. Christmas, who is sick of cancer, behaves kindly toward Meena. She also generously donates her clothing, as she knows that she is soon going to die.
Sandy
A divorcée, Sandy soon shows interest in Hairy Neddy and tries to seduce him in various ways. It is only after she gives up on this pursuit that Hairy Neddy reciprocates, ultimately asking her to marry him.
Mireille
Mr. Singh’s wife welcomes Meena into her house after Meena tells her that Tracey has fallen into the pond. Although Meena initially believes that Mireille is a witch, the old woman proves extremely talkative and affectionate, sharing with Meena the story of her life.
Pinky
– One of Auntie Shaila’s daughters and Meena’s “cousins,” Pinky is sweet and gentle. Although Meena initially enjoys spending time with her and her sister Baby, she later finds them too boring.
Baby
– Pinky’s sister, one of Auntie Shaila’s daughters and Meena’s “cousins.” Meena steals Mr. Ormerod’s can of money in Pinky and Baby’s presence and then accuses Baby of this misdeed. The girls prove too shy and guilt-ridden to defend themselves.
Kevin and Karl
These young twins, whom Meena describes as hyperactive, form part of Anita and Meena’s gang. They are cruel and inclined to humiliate others, as they make fun of Tracey.
Glenys
Sam Lowbridge’s mother is the oldest single mother in Tollington. Meena’s mother disapproves of Glenys’s habits, which involve smoking and playing bingo. Glenys seems detached from her son’s life, having little control over his actions and little knowledge of his whereabouts.
Dadaji
Meena’s paternal grandfather was a staunch communist who kept papa from having an acting career because he believed people should devote their lives to politics, not entertainment. His anti-religious views affected Meena’s father, who believes that people should act in the name of humanity, not religion.
Nanaji
Nanima’s husband and Meena’s maternal grandfather, he only appears in photographs and in Nanima’s stories. During British colonization in India, he was committed enough to his principles to refuse to fight in the British army, which caused him to be sent to prison.
Dadima
Meena’s paternal grandmother, a kind-looking lady whose face is marked by suffering, only appears in photographs.
Dave “The Poet”
A boy whom Anita meets at the fair and begins to go out with. He abandons Anita, whom he was kissing minutes earlier, to go have sex with her mother Deirdre.
Tonio
A member of Dave’s group of friends, Tonio spends time with Sherrie at the fair, kissing her.
Gary
A member of Dave’s group of friends, Gary spends time with Fat Sally at the fair. Although he is initially disappointed to be stuck with Sally, whom he perceives as unattractive, he later shows relief not to be matched with Meena, thus revealing his racist views.
Jodie Bagshot
A four-year-old girl who went missing for three days and was later found to have drowned accidentally in the Big House pond.
Cara Mitchell
Cara, a young woman in Tollington, shows signs of mental illness, and is sent to a psychiatric institution against her parents’ will. This shocks Meena, who believes that the girl needs open spaces instead of being locked up in a cell.
Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell
Meena calls Cara’s parents the “Mad Mitchells.” Of humble economic means, they live in a cluttered house next to Meena’s family.
Mr. Pembridge
A local Tory councilor and businessman, Mr. Pembridge lives in a mansion in Tollington. He opens his house’s gates every spring for Fete, in which local artisans can sell their products and donate to charity. He gives lofty speeches in an authoritative manner.
Beryl Pembridge
Mr. Pembridge’s wife proves infinitely less elegant and refined than her husband. She speaks in a miner’s accent and embarrasses her husband by behaving drunkenly at Fete.
Reverend Ince
The church vicar gets into an argument with Uncle Alan at Fete about how to spend the money they have collected. He acts selfishly in his decision to use the money raised to repair the church roof.
Sylvie
A kind nurse at the hospital who helps Meena enter into Robert’s isolation room and talk to him face-to-face for the first and only time.