[Book Review] The Palace of Illusions

As an Indian, I grew up hearing the story of Mahabharata from different lips but just like each one of you I wasn't interested in hearing the complete story in my childhood. As a result of this, I ended up with snippets and sometimes a tale or two of this great epic written by Vyasa, the omniscient sage. When I grew up I wanted to read Mahabharata again but I was never able to bring myself to it. Finally, three weeks ago, when I was scrolling through the books section of Flipkart did I felt satisfied. I found the book 'The Palace of Illusions' by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.

A historical fictional book, 'The Palace of Illusions' is a recreated version of Mahabharata with its mythological characters. The peculiarity of this book is that the story of the Mahabharata is narrated by Panchaali, the wife of the five Pandava brothers. Her fiery birth and lonely childhood makes her an independent lady who creates an everlasting bond with her brother and a complicated friendship with Krishna, her best friend. When Panchaali marries the Pandava brothers, her destiny unfolds to reveal dark secrets and she creates a torturing blot on humankind which was beyond reversible.

Author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has done an excellent job in bringing out Panchaali's view of the epic. When the most prominent female character in this book narrates the story, we understand the role of females who are often underestimated in these epics because of the warrior male counterparts. The story of Mahabharata unfolds in different layers through conversations, stories and dreams. This is one of the interesting thing about this book. Melancholy is a huge element of this book coupled with remorse, despair and sympathy. The story of Panchaali takes us on a ride through the mountains with its many ups and downs but her story teaches us the noble values which we must keep in our life. For those who have not read (or knows nothing about) Mahabharata, you may find this book a bit lost. This is a mythological story and it may deal with lot of mystical and illogical ideas which are actually allusions to life's problems and solutions with its real meanings hidden deeper in its tales and conversations. This book is a treat for all those who are unwilling to read the epic itself which may take some (long) time to finish.