The Palace of Illusions takes us back to a time that is half-history, half-myth, and wholly magical; narrated by Panchaali, the wife of the five Pandava brothers, we are — finally — given a woman’s take on the timeless tale that is the Mahabharata Tracing Panchaali’s life — from fiery birth and lonely childhood, where her beloved brother is her only true companion; through her complicated friendship with the enigmatic Krishna; to marriage, motherhood and Panchaali’s secret attraction to the mysterious man who is her husbands’ most dangerous enemy — The Palace of Illusions is a deeply human novel about a woman born into a man’s world — a world of warriors, gods and the ever manipulating hands of fate