"Half the field is mine" is an emotion-provoking novel by Swati Sengupta. It follows the story of a wholesome friendship between two football-crazed girls, Oli and Champa. While Oli is born into a well-off family, Champa is the daughter of Oli's domestic help. But that does not get in the way of their friendship.
The book is truly inspiring and tackles common social prejudices such as gender norms and class differences. The first half of the book reads through the journey of Oli and Champa discovering gender bias in their small football group and how they defied limitations on them. The latter half of the story takes Champa on a dangerous journey from her home to Jalpaiguri in search of answers about mixed football teams. Champa goes on this journey alone, without Oli by her side. One of the most striking things about this book is the way it portrays the bond between Oli and Champa, two girls from different social classes, who became best friends and confidants.
The author shows how their friendship transcends their differences and how they support each other through thick and thin. The girls' determination to play football despite the boys' decision to kick them out of the team is also inspiring and shows that nothing can come between two friends.
The book is more of a character-driven story than a plot-driven one which means that the author gives us a deeper connection with the characters and the story moves forward with their actions. The author's writing style may be called basic by some, but I find it easy to read and keeps the reader guessing until the end.
While the book explores bias against females, it also does a great job of displaying gender bias against men from Champa's perspective as she starts in the book hating them and wishing for a world without them. By the end of the book, she has mostly erased the same mental block from her mind.
Overall 'Half The Field Is Mine' is an inspiring and powerful story that will resonate with readers of all ages. The themes of friendship, gender roles, and class differences are handled with sensitivity and depth, making it a valuable read for anyone who has struggled with their place in the world. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an inspiring story about friendship and determination.
The author is a student at Podar International School, Powai, and is one of the winners of The FPJ's Pen To Paper Contest this year.
