The Palace of Dreams - Ismail Kadare's best work (according to him)

From Goodreads: The Palace of Dreams revolves around a secret ministry whose task is not just to spy on its citizens, but to collect and interpret their dreams. Set in the period when the alliance between Mao's China and Hoxha's Albania was going sour, this brilliant novel depicts a world so sheltered and monotonous that political ruptures and diplomatic crises are what make life exciting.