Does the name of this novel ring a bell? It reminds you of the one of the greatest epics of all times - The Mahabharata. Palace of Illusions, written by the famous writer Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, is all set to be released on February 12th, 2008. Her previous novel, ‘Queen of Dreams’ got rave reviews from book lovers and critics, around the world. In the ‘Palace of Illusions’, Chitra tries to portray the relevance of the Mahabharata in the contemporary world of today. All this, from a feminist point of view - the narrator of the story is none other than Panchaali.
The Book
Mahabharata was an epic that had significant lessons of life, traced out in the most subtle manner, through many incidents; some mythical and some, brutally real. The Palace of Illusions was an important part of the Mahabharata, which had an underlying meaning to it - what you see, may not be real; it just could be an illusion. To identify the real, you need to look beyond just perception.
The Palace of Illusions gives an insight into what happened through the eyes of a strong feminist, the woman who was the wife of the five Pandava brothers. The story begins with the birth of Panchali, a magical birth in fire in a rich kingdom. It then goes on to explore her life as the single wife of five brothers. She supports them throughout their quest to reclaim the kingdom they had been cheated of.
All along, we get to see what kind of conflicts she goes through with her own self like trying to take over the household from her mother-in-law, maintaining a complex friendship with Krishna, her guilty attraction to her husband’s most dangerous enemy, etc. In a world that is ruled by myths, warriors, Gods and uncontrollable fate, we see the strength and viewpoint of a woman.
About the Author
Chitra Divakaruni lives in US and is a famous Award-winning writer as well as a poet. Born in India, she came to the US when she was around 19. After doing odd jobs like slicing bread for a bakery and working for an Indian boutique, she found her calling in writing novels. Currently, she is basking in the warmth of the rave reviews she got for her previous novel, ‘Queen of Dreams’ and is eagerly awaiting the release of ‘Palace of Illusions’.
