The second book of Kadare's that I have read. Whereas the first that I read, Chronicle in Stone, presented the reality of WW2, The Palace of Dreams is set in an Ottoman Empire that never seems quite real - it is halfway between reality and fantasy.
The story is that of Mark-Alem, a member of the powerful but cursed Quprili family. He is sent to the Palace of Dreams and given a job. The Palace of Dreams, or Tabir Sarrail, is where the dreams of the entire Empire are sorted and stored and interpreted. In particular, signs of political unrest or plots against the state are carefully looked for. Mark-Alem experiences bewilderment at the intricate workings of the Tabir Sarrail but soon finds himself rising through the ranks.
I enjoyed this little book. Not the best book I've ever read, but enjoyable. I found that it was a little slow to start, but picked up about halfway through and eventually the slow beginning made sense in relation to the rest of the plot. I didn't identify with Mark-Alem at first - he spends a lot of his time being confused and tired - but by the end I found him to be more sympathetic. The plot and construction were a lot more subtle than I had been expecting also: instead of the towering vision of something like 1984 for example, Kadare's presentation of oppression was a lot more subtle and more of a political intrigue, which did make for interesting reading. And the basic premise and history of the Quprili family were well imagined without being overly fantastical - they were believable.
Interestingly, the symbol of the Chronicle appears here again, just as in Chronicle in Stone. I wonder if this is a recurring theme in Kadare's work? I shall just have to read more of his books to find out, something that I look forward to.
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