ABQ author Kit Rosewater debuts first young adult novel 'All’s Fair in Love and Field Hockey'

Kit Rosewater’s book “All’s Fair in Love and Field Hockey” is a thoughtful, luminous romance novel for young adults.

It’s a tale not unlike the rival families in William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” — the Montagues and the Capulets.

In the novel, two young people overcome team rivalry in field hockey to become lovers. It is told through the modern day filter of queer romance.

The protagonist is Evelyn, a senior at Heathclef High School in Pennsylvania.

Evelyn is the captain and stout goalie of the school’s field hockey team that is trying to qualify for nationals. Field hockey is the be-all and end-all of her life.

If the team goes all the way, Evelyn will have a good shot at a scholarship to play at Duke University. Duke is the only college she is applying to.

This isn’t just Evelyn’s dream. It was her mom’s, too, before she died of cancer when Evelyn was in fourth grade.

That’s one identity issue that Evelyn must deal with.

When Heathclef loses its homecoming game to archrival Van Darian High School, Evelyn loses confidence in herself. She thinks her identity as team leader is cracking.

What’s more, she wonders, how was it possible that she could give up six goals to Van Darian’s leading scorer, Rosa, who actually trained as a soccer player growing up in New Mexico.

Evelyn thinks back to what happened during the game. She was distracted by the tattoo on Rosa’s thigh, the engraving on the shaft of her hockey stick, and her coral-colored nails.

Evelyn asks herself if that loss means she has no future playing field hockey at the college of her choice.

Her older brother Seth tells her, “Stop feeling sorry for yourself.” She finally admits to the self-pity.

Another identity issue is sexual.

For the first part of the novel, Evelyn is happily hooking up with her school’s quarterback, the tall, handsome and kind Caleb. Evelyn breaks up with Caleb as she begins to think that she’s not good enough for him and as she rethinks her sexual orientation.

She develops a secret friendship with Rosa. Rosa wants to help Evelyn improve her goal-tending skills. Evelyn finds that strange: Why would a player with the rival high school field hockey team do that? And what would Evelyn’s teammates think if they found out about that friendship: Is she being disloyal?

Rosa also helps Evelyn pay more attention to her studies.

Evelyn explains to her new friend why she’s obsessed with field hockey.

The sport and her late mother are fused in her brain. If she doesn’t go to Duke and keep playing field hockey the way her mother did, “I don’t know how else to feel close to her,” Evelyn declares.

Building on their friendship, Evelyn and Rosa soon develop a secret intimacy.

Rosewater, an Albuquerque author and graduate of Albuquerque Academy, shared in an email some thoughts on writing about queer teens.

“Queer teens are here, have been here and will never go away,” Rosewater said in the email.

“Taking away books that offer a window for straight readers and a mirror for queer readers will not make queer readers disappear. It will, however, make those readers feel very small and alone and unsupported. And it will bleed compassion and empathy from straight and cis(gender) readers who could very well become important, critical allies.”

Rosewater said she won’t withdraw her support, nor her presence as a queer author writing queer stories.

The author said the inspiration for the novel was an article in Them magazine titled “Team USA and Team Canada Women’s Hockey Players Keep Marrying Each Other.”

Rosewater neatly and unexpectedly injects a New Mexico flavor in her novel. Evelyn is in Rosa’s dorm room — Van Darian is a boarding school — where Rosa is cooking a meal. Evelyn smells chili powder, garlic, cumin and tomato.

This opens a reference to the popular culinary question — red or green?

Rosa votes for green and explains why: “You can eat green chile cold and diced, or warm and roasted, or part of a salsa, or just by itself. Green chile is the most magical vegetable to ever exist.”

“All’s Fair in Love and Field Hockey,” which comes out May 6, is Rosewater’s first young adult novel but her fourth book. Three earlier books were “The Derby Daredevils” illustrated series for middle-school readers.

ABQ author Kit Rosewater debuts first young adult novel 'All’s Fair in Love and Field Hockey'