The Palace of Illusions

“Behold, we give you this girl, a gift beyond what you asked for. Take good care of her, for she will change the course of history.”

The Palace of Illusions is a re-telling of the famed epic Mahabharat, from Draupadi’s point of view. Moving away from the conventional story telling of Arjun’s valour, Bheem’s strength, and Yudhishthir’s righteousness, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni explores the life of Draupadi (also called Panchaali), the 5 Pandavas’ wife. Right from her baffling emergence from the fire, to her decisions that led to the building of Indra Prastha, to the many years of exile and civil war she endured with her husbands’, Panchaali’s integral role in the events leading up to the Great War are highlighted. Shrouded in mystique and magic, The Palace of Illusions delves deeper into her relationships with the people around her, and paints a picture of the journey of one of the most pivotal characters of India’s most illustrious epic.

I loved the shift in the POV, and the description of Draupadi’s thoughts and contemplations during critical events in history. The storyline was written in an exotic, lyrical style, that had me in its grip from beginning to end. I enjoyed Krishna’s role in the book and particularly enjoyed the conversations he had with Panchaali. I loved the book and recommend it to anyone with a yearning to look at the happenings at and before the Great War of Kurukshetra through Draupadi’s eyes.

Happy reading! 🦢