The Palace of Illusions

The Mahabharata retold in Draupadi's voice is the premise of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's novel, and it changes what the epic looks like. Panchaali narrates her own life across the familiar sequence of events, and the war, the court intrigue and the men whose decisions shape her fate are all filtered through what she sees and what she is never told. Divakaruni writes in a lyrical register but keeps the narrator sharp, watchful and frequently angry. Readers who know the epic find familiar episodes re-angled; readers who do not get an accessible way in. Pan Macmillan publishes this edition of a novel that has become a reference point for mythological fiction from India. Reasons readers return to it: • An epic narrated entirely by a woman standing at its centre • Familiar episodes re-angled through what one character can see • Prose that stays lyrical without slowing the narrative • An accessible route into the Mahabharata for newcomers Suited to readers of mythological fiction, book clubs and anyone curious about the epic from an unfamiliar angle, this Pan Macmillan edition is available from Boipoka.