The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni - Book Review

The Palace of Illusions

by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

~ A Book Review

Written by Indian-american author. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, the Palace of Illusions shines a new light on the everlasting Indian epic, the Mahabharata.  Retold from Panchaali's perspective, the novel tracks her life from her unusual birth, secluded childhood with her twin brother Dhri as her only confidante, her friendship with the mysterious Krishna, her complicated marriage with the five Pandavas, all the way to her final moments. 

A clever retelling of the sacred tale, written with an elegancy that's bound to hook you onto every word. until the end! Divakaruni maintains the history of the Mahabharata while adding some of her own imaginative twists here and there. The novel highlights the very detailed  thoughts and hidden emotions of Panchaali as she lives through each of the events that take place, making the reader see the Mahahbharata in a different (more enlightening) way. The story is dotted with the use of good humour and sarcasm, as well as some cryptic messages from Krishna and the advice that he gives.

 In the beginning of the book, the reader meets a young and naïve Draupadi, yearning to make her mark on history, whose rebellious nature makes all her plans very convincing. As the novel progresses, we gradually see changes in her mentality, her thoughts and wishes as she grows older, and wiser. At the end of the novel, the voice that is heard has so much more knowledge and wisdom than what the reader first hears. It's also in the beginning, that the novel switches from the main story and flashbacks to build up characters who were otherwise not spoken of much, during the first quarter of the book, and these subtle introductions bring a good flow to the overall story. 

Although the novel has received criticism for painting an 'unappealing' picture of Panchaali, I think that the novel explores more human and realistic emotions, those that any one in her place could have felt. Some accounts of her desire for vengeance have been described as thoughtless or ill-considered, however, this was merely a restating of the actual events of the Mahabharata, and to me, were extremely relevant to the story. 

A highly resonating novel, I'd recommend to all fans of the original Mahabharata, and even people who aren't fans. The Palace of Illusions is a delightful and insightful read for everyone!

~ ♡ Mridini