The elephant in the room is a trinket. It is an animal ornament that catches the light with its silvery spangles. These days, it embarrasses its owner, Ella – not so much because it smacks of cultural appropriation, she being a white actor from Hebden Bridge, the elephant a symbol of the Hindu deity Ganesh. It is more because it reminds her of her 10-year-old self, a little girl entranced by the fabrics and colours of India.
Played by a spirited Eva Scott, she whisks the elephant out of the way of her new boyfriend Haseeb, a north London poet. He jokingly reminds her his family is not from India – his parents were born in Pakistan – but the ornament is a small reminder of their differing cultural backgrounds.
