I’m currently reading “The Palace of Illusions” by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. I only wish I had discovered her earlier, (she is also the author of "The Mistress of Spices") and I plan on catching up on her other works sometime soon.
In "The Palace of Illusions", she sets to "uncover the story that lay invisible between the lines of the men's exploits." It's Mahabharatha told from Draupadi’s perspective – a novel, contemporary view at that.
Few authors -- or characters in the case of fiction -- leave lasting impressions – personalities that remain etched mainly for their determination, perseverance. Draupadi now joins the list of Scout Finch (To Kill a Mocking Bird), Anne Frank (Author(?): Diary of a Young Girl), Kira Argounova (We The Living), Leslie (The Book Thief), Marjie Satrapi (Author: Persepolis)
All of them women - I'd add Vikram Seth for his characterization of Lata Mehra and many more in A Suitable Boy. When I have a bookshelf settled and spacious enough, I’m bringing that huge book back in and filling up the shelf with the rest mentioned here. And with Divakaruni’s “The Unknown Errors of Our Lives” – each story struck a chord, though I felt you need to be uber-sensitive or must have been in a not-always-happy frame earlier to appreciate some of the nuances.
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