Fitting Indian by Jyoti Chand and Tara Anand. HarperAlley, 2025. 9780063237544. 288pp.
Nitasha is under a lot of pressure from her parents to be the perfect student and daughter, though she quietly rebels against those expectations. The fact that her brother is a doctor and also engaged to a lawyer only adds to her stress , though her brother treats her well. She also has her friends Ava and Nick, too, though maybe Nick wants to be more than friends.
Nitasha’s life implodes in ways that involve social media, alcohol, depression, and self-harm. There’s a trigger warning about most of the above on the first page, as well as a list of resources in the back for teens and others dealing with these issues. Nitasha is such a well-rounded character, as are her friends, brother, and most of the rest of her family, that this isn’t some After School Special. Rooting for her and her loved ones pulled me through this graphic novel.
