A review by mmccombs
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

adventurous dark funny reflective medium-paced

4.5

Such a clever idea deftly executed. When I first started the book (on audio, which I don’t think I’d recommend), I was a little nervous things would get cheesy or maybe kind of weird/icky, but I quickly found this kind of bonkers concept to be handled with nuance. Like it’s a book about time travel, which can get sticky conceptually, but that’s just the beginning. It’s a story about intergenerational trauma, survivor’s guilt, climate (and just generally the future) anxiety, about how we can change the future by changing the present. I loved the characterization of each character, they felt lived in and real (if sometimes a bit goofy). The writing was so beautiful and precise, there was humor and romance and poignant lines, making this absolutely a page turner. Reading it physically definitely was the way to go, I felt I missed too much by listening to it (especially when things got time-travelly-twisty). This was so fun to read while also remaining very thoughtful, a gem of the year for sure! 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings