I don't play football; I don't even watch football. Despite that, I was sucked into yet another brilliant book by Mallika Ravikumar - The State League. To be fair, considering how much I have enjoyed nearly everything she's written, I expected to enjoy this one too. What I didn't bargain for was how unputdownable the book would be, drawing me into its drama, emotion and layering.Prithvi from The District Cup is back. He's now being trained at Elite Sports F.C. in football-crazy Goa. He's talented, ambitious and hardworking--all characteristics that ought to stand him in good stead as the world of football rolls open before him.But bring in age-cheating and match fixing, and the picture grows ugly. First with bewilderment and then with utter shock, Prithvi discovers how murky the world of betting is, and how far-reaching. Match fixing isn't restricted to huge matches with big … [Read more...]