Item: The Ministry of Time
Rating: 3.50
Author: quirkycat

by Kaliane Bradley

One of the 18 best novels of the year for the Sunday Times
A book of the year pick in the Guardian, New York Times, Independent, Spectator, Red, NPR, People, Slate, Sydney Morning Herald and Smithsonian Magazine
'The most talked-about debut of 2024 . . . The combination of whimsy and high seriousness works brilliantly'
SUNDAY TIMES, The 18 best novels of the year

'Smart, funny and moving, this debut has been the hit of the year'
GUARDIAN, Five of the best science fiction books of 2024

'An addictive sci-fi romantic comedy . . . Laugh-out-loud funny and a suprisingly powerful meditation on the climate crisis, it's above all exciting, fun and a good old-fashioned page turner that you'll recommend to all your friends'
INDEPENDENT, Best new books to read in 2024

'Simply adorable . . . It's the book I have recommended to friends with the most success'
SPECTATOR, Books of the Year

'My book of the year. And I'd also like to nominate Graham as my "book boyfriend" of the year!'
RED, Best books of the year

'Fast moving and riotously entertaining, a genre-busting blend of wit and wonder'
OBSERVER, 10 best new novelists for 2024

'Terrific, moving . . . Crack this book open and you'll see how time can disappear'
FINANCIAL TIMES

'I loved its combination of extreme whimsy, high seriousness and cool understatement'
THE TIMES

'Utterly winning . . . Readers, I envy you: There's a smart, witty novel in your future'
WASHINGTON POST

'Clever, witty and thought-provoking'
KATE MOSSE, author of The Ghost Ship

'Make room on your bookshelves for a new classic'
MAX PORTER, author of Shy

'As electric, charming, whimsical and strange as its ripped-from-history cast'
EMILY HENRY, author of Happy Place

'Thought-provoking and horribly clever - but it also made me laugh out loud'
ALICE WINN, author of In Memoriam

'A weird, kind, clever, heartsick little time bomb of a book'
FRANCIS SPUFFORD, author of Golden Hill

A Barack Obama reading pick
A BOY MEETS A GIRL. THE PAST MEETS THE FUTURE. A FINGER MEETS A TRIGGER. THE BEGINNING MEETS THE END. ENGLAND IS FOREVER. ENGLAND MUST FALL.

In the near future, a disaffected civil servant is offered a lucrative job in a mysterious new government ministry gathering 'expats' from across history to test the limits of time-travel.

Her role is to work as a 'bridge': living with, assisting and monitoring the expat known as '1847' - Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin's doomed expedition to the Arctic, so he's a little disoriented to find himself alive and surrounded by outlandish concepts such as 'washing machine', 'Spotify' and 'the collapse of the British Empire'. With an appetite for discovery and a seven-a-day cigarette habit, he soon adjusts; and during a long, sultry summer he and his bridge move from awkwardness to genuine friendship, to something more.

But as the true shape of the project that brought them together begins to emerge, Gore and the bridge are forced to confront their past choices and imagined futures. Can love triumph over the structures and histories that have shaped them? And how do you defy history when history is living in your house?

Shortlisted for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize
Shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for comic fiction
Longlisted for the Climate Fiction Prize

Book Summary:

Would you take a top-secret job without knowing the details first? Frequently, that's how life goes - you only learn the details of a top-secret job once you've signed all the paperwork. Thus, before she knew it, our leading lady found herself tasked to act as a bridge for a time traveler.

Yes, you read that right. The time traveler in question didn't sign up for the project, but he's here nonetheless. It'll be her job to keep Commander Graham Gore stable in this timeline, ideally learning more about his past while she's at it.

My Review:

Huh. The Ministry of Time is not what I expected. I'm not exactly sure what I expected, but let's be real: you tease "spy thriller meets travel romance," and you've got my attention. That said, I feel like this book ended up being more historical fiction with a dash of drama, romance, and self-insert fantasy.

That's still a lot for one book, mind you. That's why some elements of The Ministry of Time work and some don't. For example, I LOVE the premise of pulling people from the past to our timeline as a way of time-traveling. It's such an oblivious idea, and yet I'm shocked to say that I haven't read anything like it (if you have, please name the books; I need more).

That said, I could have done without the romantic element. There are a few reasons for this. The first is that our time traveler is a real historical figure, so putting him in a sexual context (with a made-up/self-insert character) felt kind of squick. I also feel like it straight up wasn't needed and bordered on toxic at times. But that's just my hot take, I suppose.

As for the spy thriller element? Hrm. It was a bit all over the place. Again, some good, some bad. Overall, I wouldn't say that I regret this read, but I wish that had been done differently (so as to live up to that amazing potential).

Highlights:
Time Travel Mystery
Historical Fiction
Romantic Elements
Spy Thriller

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The Ministry of Time

by Kaliane Bradley

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on Jul 16, 2024

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