Queen of Dreams (Chitra Divakaruni)

I've read most of Divakaruni's poetic, slightly surreal novels - Queen of Dreams reminds me of an earlier work, Mistress of Spices - both have a dreamlike atmosphere, where reality is somewhat blurred. Both novels give their characters difficult choices.

Rakhi, a struggling artist who runs a cafe, is frustrated by her relationship with her mother, a dream reader, and her strained separation from her husband. When her mother dies, Rakhi discovers her journals, and begins the process of trying to understand her mother, who never spoke of her past.

It's a lovely novel, and I particularly enjoyed the dream sequences, and the way they made their way into Rakhi's life. Four out of five.