The Ministry of Time

A Novel

By: Kaliane Bradley

Narrated by: George Weightman, Katie Leung

Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • “This summer’s hottest debut.”—Cosmopolitan • “Witty, sexy escapist fiction [that] packs a substantial punch...It’s a smart, gripping work that’s also a feast for the senses...Fresh and thrilling.”—Los Angeles Times • “Electric...I loved every second.”—Emily Henry

A time travel romance, a spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingenious exploration of the nature of power and the potential for love to change it all: Welcome to The Ministry of Time, the exhilarating debut novel by Kaliane Bradley.

In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she’ll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats” from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible—for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time.

She is tasked with working as a “bridge”: living with, assisting, and monitoring the expat known as “1847” or Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, so he’s a little disoriented to be living with an unmarried woman who regularly shows her calves, surrounded by outlandish concepts such as “washing machines,” “Spotify,” and “the collapse of the British Empire.” But with an appetite for discovery, a seven-a-day cigarette habit, and the support of a charming and chaotic cast of fellow expats, he soon adjusts.

Over the next year, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a horrifically uncomfortable roommate dynamic, evolves into something much deeper. By the time the true shape of the Ministry’s project comes to light, the bridge has fallen haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences she never could have imagined. Forced to confront the choices that brought them together, the bridge must finally reckon with how—and whether she believes—what she does next can change the future.

An exquisitely original and feverishly fun fusion of genres and ideas, The Ministry of Time asks: What does it mean to defy history, when history is living in your house? Kaliane Bradley’s answer is a blazing, unforgettable testament to what we owe each other in a changing world.

©2024 Kaliane Bradley (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio

Loved this so much

The characters were so well developed and the chemistry between the two main characters was so good. Narrator was really enjoyable. The story was fantastical without seeming like fantasy. I’m genuinely sad I’m don’t with this book I could have listened to this for way longer.

Lots of fun, B-plus light entertainment

I listened while doing sudoku or the easier NYTimes puzzles. Neither alone engages my full attention, but they were a great combination. The characters are interesting and well-drawn enough to be engaging, and the plot is pretty well done. I was sorry to be finished. Thought-provoking in the end. Very satisfying read, if you're someone who doesn't have the energy or patience for actual great literature.

Unusual plot

The characters are richly rounded and their actions and reactions-although not generally predictable-make good sense. Interesting plot/story line.

Great story, not your usual time travel novel

The story was layered and engaging. I loved the characters and it was at times very funny. A wonderful book, definitely worth a read or listen!

Interesting premise

Thought provoking but characters, other than 1847, lacked heft. Some plot developments were a leap too far

More than the sum of its parts but…

I want to say upfront that I liked “The Ministry of Time.” It’s inventive, and thought provoking, and original. The deft prose of first-time (!) author Kaliane Bradley is scrumptious and assured. She writes the kind of sentences worth rereading aloud for their beauty. The topics she touches on are important and timely. Her characters (one based on a real historical figure) feel three-dimensional.

But - and this is important - it was nothing like the book I expected. Or, to be more accurate, the book I was told to expect.

It’s not just that the punchy primary-color cover telegraphs that we’re safely in zany or cozy Sci-Fi territory, promising something akin to “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” or “The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet.” It’s also that so many book reviews describe “The Ministry of Time” as “a rip-roaring romp” (Kirkus), “escapist fiction” (LA Times), “a lot of fun” (Washington Post), and a “time-travel romance cum sci-fi comedy” (The Guardian).

Nope.

Or maybe it’s just that I think the pervasive and unflinching exploration of racism, sexism, micro-aggressions, genocide, terrorism, imperialism, displacement, sexuality, religion, cannibalism, survivor guilt, post -traumatic-stress, and climate crisis don’t make for fun escapism. If you’re easily triggered, consider yourself warned.

Elsewhere, The LA Times did better with “edgy, playful and provocative… likely to be the most thought-provoking romance novel of the summer,” but still misses the mark on the book’s tone. While there are occasional playful and often romantic (or at least sexual) situations, the implication that this book fits neatly into any category, let alone Rom-Com or Sci-Fi, does a disservice to both “The Ministry of Time” and to fans of those genres who may find their tropes in service to something they don’t recognize at all.

If “The Ministry of Time” shares DNA with any genre more than another it’s Dystopian Suspense. Maybe something by China Mieville, like “The City & The City.” It’s a moody, often moving, read. And one worth your while if you know what you’re getting into. Just go in with your eyes and mind open.

Clever, imaginative, and emotionally articulate

Excellent writing and performance! I’m no writer but I can appreciate excellent writing and this is it.

Not what I’d hoped for

The book went into too much sci fi for me. From the description I read before purchasing, I expected more comedy and relationship than drama.

The characters and details

I listened to this entire book in two days. It was so engaging and lovely and I loved the end. Shout out to code switch for turning me on to it!

Slow down!

Maybe just hard for a North American, but the narrator speaks too fast and dips her volume frequently. I found success listening 10% slower. Once I figured that out, it was a fun read!