A review by booksreadbydeepti
The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

5.0

Book 41 of 2023 - The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Devakaruni - An out of world spiritual experience

I have always been interested in mythology, but whenever I picked up a book of the genre, something didn't always click. I got this book, in Connaught Place in Delhi, while roaming around with fellow bookclub friends Saumya, Akanksha and Yogita. We were just browsing without any intention of purchasing, and lo behold found this, and for some curious reason started reading immediately after my trip.

I won't go into the story much, as it is based on truth, so I can't really comment on the writing style or plot. It feels weird to do that. I would rather share my experience. This book was something. It was like an ocean just gushing through you, as you keep reading, I felt really connected to Draupadi, Karna & Krishna, not really the rest as there was a definite disconnect, not because of the story per se, but I guess these characters felt more human than others.

I read it like an introspective book. I have always been sensitive to certain things due to my past experiences, but reading this book took it to another level. The connection was so strong, that I felt I was healing as I kept going and it didn't stop. I felt like talking about it a lot too, so I kept on discussing it with a fellow mythology book reader whom I bugged a lot lol.

I had to put it down for sometime as it was getting too intense and had other commitments, but this book kept pulling me - It felt different, but even though I was reading about war and chaos, the healing continued. The last chapter was really special. I will never forget that chapter.

In the end, I feel happy, at peace, at least some things which were bugging me settled down. I will always remember this book. It was a true spiritual experience. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in self introspection, because the book is definitely not just about mythology, at least for me *wink*.