Chitra Bannerjee Divakaruni’s Palace of Illusions is a retelling of Mahabharata as seen through the eyes of Draupadi. Vidya Pradhan has a review.
The Mahabharata, which my grandmother claims is the repository of every known story in the universe, is an absorbing drama which is less about good and evil than it is about politics and strategy. It is open to a great deal of interpretation and a perfectly good case can be made for the seemingly reprehensible behavior of the Kauravas led by Duryodhana. The moral ambiguity of this epic makes it a page turner and Divakaruni manages to weave in some of the lesser known anecdotes skillfully. You may even find a nugget or two that is new to you. And just to pique your interest, let me add that there is an unexpected and totally dishy love angle for Draupadi that I have never come across in any other adaptation of one of the greatest stories ever told.
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