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Graphic: Confinement, Death, Racism, Xenophobia, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Blood, Alcohol, Classism
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Religious bigotry, Pandemic/Epidemic
The Ministry of Time got a LOT of hype. The back of my advanced reader’s copy, which I received several months ago, said it was “already an international sensation, with rights sold in 17 languages and a TV adaptation in the pipeline after a 21-way auction.” It’s got an incredible lineup of blurbs, including from Eleanor Catton, Max Porter, and…Emily Henry.
Here’s the premise: Our unnamed narrator has been hired by a new branch of the government to live with, guide, and monitor an “expat” who was pulled from their home — the past. Our MC is assigned Lieutenant Graham Gore, an arctic explorer from the 1800s. And then they fall in love. (WOW.)
So, does it deliver on all that promise? I’ve seen mixed reviews, but as for me, I say yes — IF you go into it with the right expectations.
This book fits best in the literary fiction genre, given the interiority of the main character (although the end reads more like a sci-fi thriller). But it’s still doing a lot of different things at once — time travel, a romance plotline, history, a little dystopia, humor, not to mention themes like moving through the world as a white-passing Asian person, survivor’s guilt, and kind of growth required for a character to jump from a period of colonization to our present-day understanding of race and civil rights. So go into this book knowing that it’s not going to have the space to focus on any one of those things in depth. Also, time travel is HARD and full of plot holes by nature, so take that in stride. If you do, I think you’ll have a lot of fun with it.
Some have said this book tries to do too much and delivers on none of it. But I found it to be like the best kind of meal you make from whatever’s in your refrigerator — a ton of ingredients you love, not too much brain power required, and a tasty result in the end. Call it the literary beach read of the summer.
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Cannibalism
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Death, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cannibalism
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Murder
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, Grief
Minor: Animal death, Genocide, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Cannibalism, Colonisation, War
If you like the parts of the TV show/comics where Loki is an agent of time dealing with the bureaucracy of the Time Variance Authority or the Temps Commission agents on Umbrella Academy then you might enjoy this.
Also, has long chapters so if you're someone who is put off by that maybe skip this one.
I think maybe it felt more like a screenplay than a book.
Still giving 4 stars because even though it wasn't for me I can acknowledge it was well written and the themes were good.
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual content, Cannibalism
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Cannibalism
Minor: Sexual content
Graphic: Death, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Colonisation
Minor: Cannibalism
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Racism, Kidnapping, Murder
Minor: Drug use, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Cannibalism, Alcohol, Colonisation
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Kidnapping