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The first half was delightful and because I had seen only mixed reviews about the book I kept wondering "what is going to go wrong in the second half?"
Then I guessed something that, I'm not certain the author is really hiding from the reader, and I thought I know what would mar the ending. But that element was used more interestingly than I expected.
What really made this a three star for me and not something higher is that the first 70% or so of the book felt like it was building towards something narratively and thematically but ultimately that was messy. I think the messiness might work for the narrative but I wanted more clarity around theme.
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Cannibalism, Colonisation, War
Author: Kaliane Bradley
Genre: Science Fiction
Rating: 2.50
Pub Date: May 7, 2024
I received a complimentary eARC from Simon & Schuster Canada via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted
T H R E E • W O R D S
Creative • Clunky • Predictable
📖 S Y N O P S I S
A civil servant starts working as a 'bridge' - a liaison, helpmeet and housemate - in an experimental project that brings expatriates from the past into the twenty-first century. This is a science-fiction story.
In a London safehouse in the 2020s, a disorientated Victorian polar explorer chain-smokes while listening to Spotify and learning about political correctness. This is a comedy.
During a long, sultry summer - as the shadows around them grow long and dangerous - two people fall in love, against all odds. This is a romance.
💭 T H O U G H T S
The Ministry of Time was one of my most anticipated 2024 releases. The premise sounded fantastic, unlike anything I'd read before. I certainly had high hopes when I was gifted an ARC, and even more so after it was announced as a GMA bookclub selection. I definitely couldn't avoid all of the hype surrounding this one.
Unlike some other reviews, I thought it started really strongly. I was interested and the concept was fascinating. However, the tone and direction completely shifted several times, especially in the final third, making it feel like a completely different book and story each time. I believe I'd have liked it more if it had kept the same trajectory as the beginning and if I'd gotten to spend more time with each of the characters rather than focusing primarily on one.
Equal parts time travel, romance, and spy thriller, this novel tries to do a lot and really ended up not doing anything at all. It needed more character development, more editing, and more cohesiveness. The lack of character depth, made it hard to believe the romance. With very little direction in the writing, from one page to the next, I often felt like pieces of the story were missing.
There is a lot of social commentary sprinkled into this story. From colonialism and racism to power and sexuality to climate change and corruption, the author probably should have picked a couple areas to focus on rather than trying to do it all. It convolutes the actual story and maybe that was the author's intent. It just didn't work for me.
A criticism I have seen is that the middle is bogged down with historical details. I, however, liked learning about the expedition and Graham's life. Given his character is based on a real person, I think it was necessary to include these details in order to give the reader context. It was also interesting take on seeing this early explorer in the present day.
The Ministry of Time had all of the right ingredients, yet they didn't come together in a way that worked. I have to commend the marketing team as they have done their jobs in promoting this book and I have no doubts many people will love it. The execution just wasn't there to make this book a stand out for me. My opinion is definitely the unpopular one, so I would say give it a shot if it's something that interests you. I'd definitely be curious to read something else written by Kaliane Bradley in the future.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• fancy language
• stories that don't fit into a box
⚠️ CW: death, grief, violence, gun violence, war, murder, blood, injury/injury detail, cannibalism, colonization, genocide, racism, racial slurs, xenophobia, homophobia, sexism, misogyny, sexual content, drug use, alcohol, cursing
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"If you ever fall in love, you’ll be a person who was in love for the rest of your life."
"It can get better, but you must allow yourself to imagine a world in which you are better."
"Forgiveness and hope are miracles. They let you change your life. They are time travel."
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Grief
Moderate: Genocide, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Drug use, Sexual content, Alcohol
As other reviews have said, the actual logistics of time travel are not explored in depth, but to be honest I don’t mind because I’m not a massive sci-fi reader…I was more captivated by Bradley’s writing; very metaphor-heavy and striking.
I could have read about the “expats” adjusting to the modern-day forever. I wish there was more of that!
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism
Minor: Homophobia
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Cannibalism, Lesbophobia, Cultural appropriation, War
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Murder, Lesbophobia, Colonisation
- What an inventive, emotional, and thought provoking book THE MINISTRY OF TIME is.
- This book is what I would call literary sci-fi, which is one of my favorite genre mashups. It’s also quite heavily character focused, with most of the action happening in the last third of the book.
- Despite my usual love of plot-heavy books, I was immediately drawn into the story of our unnamed narrator and her displaced-from-time charge.
- It’s easy to see how much research Bradley put into this book, but it never loses the intense emotion amid the historical tidbits.
- I don’t even have the space to touch on the elements of race, survivor’s guilt, and of catching someone up on centuries of history. There is so much going on in this book and I’m going to be thinking about all the pieces of it for a long time to come.
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Genocide, War
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Colonisation
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Slavery, Xenophobia, Vomit, Cannibalism, War
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Cannibalism, Lesbophobia, Colonisation
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
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Medical content
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Vomit
Minor: Colonisation, War