Review: The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

*I received an advance reading copy of this book from Simon & Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review.

The Ministry of Time

by Kaliane Bradley 

May 7, 2024

Goodreads Summary:

A time travel romance, a speculative spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingeniously constructed exploration of the nature of truth and power and the potential for love to change it 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 machine,” “Spotify,” and “the collapse of the British Empire.” But he adjusts quickly; he is, after all, an explorer by trade. Soon, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a seriously uncomfortable housemate dynamic, evolves into something much more. Over the course of an unprecedented year, Gore and the bridge fall haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences they never could have imagined.

Supported by a chaotic and charming cast of characters—including a 17th-century cinephile who can’t get enough of Tinder, a painfully shy World War I captain, and a former spy with an ever-changing series of cosmetic surgery alterations and a belligerent attitude to HR—the bridge will be forced to confront the past that shaped her choices, and the choices that will shape the future.

An exquisitely original and feverishly fun fusion of genres and ideas, The Ministry of Time asks the universal What happens if you put a disaffected millennial and a Victorian polar explorer in a house together?

Review

The Ministry of Time is one of my most anticipated releases of 2024. With an engaging and twisty storyline, terrifically dynamic characters and a heart-pounding romance, I was not disappointed!

Ms. Bradley created characters that all had such unique personas. I really enjoyed learning about them and watching them interact. Some were stoic while others were mellow and a few were just downright comical. The dry humour and witty dialogues kept me entertained.

I'm not sure if it was perhaps British slang that was used but at times I found some phrases difficult to decipher. Although a minor thing, they did leave me wondering.

On a more serious note, in The Ministry of Time, discussions on racism, trauma and sexism were had. Coming from different eras and backgrounds, the characters all had wildly varying views. Although not always pleasant, it was interesting and important to hear of their opinions. I learned.

Time travelling has never looked this good! Commander Graham Gore was a man of few words (understandable given his situation) so it was hard to get to know him in the beginning. A lot more of his emotions surfaced as the story progressed. Gore really took charge in the end.

The romance in The Ministry of Time took its sweet time to develop. So much so that at one point, I was beginning to doubt if anything romantic was going to happen. Needless to say, I was ecstatic when passion ignited. Even the tender and heartfelt moments made me melt~

Some time half way through the story, I noticed we never got the main character's name. She was never directly called on or was always addressed as "bridge". That was a clever bit though I'd love to have at least known her first name.

Part of me loved The Ministry of Time so much I didn't want it to end. Another part of me was afraid of what would happen to these beloved characters as the ending creeped up. But Ms. Bradley gave us an end that was just right. One of hope and forgiveness. My heart is full.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. Any quotes included in my review were taken from the copy I received.