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oxfordcommas91 's review for:
The Ministry of Time
by Kaliane Bradley
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I struggled with the first 50% of this book. It really took me a while to wrap my mind around the plot and where the author was leading the reader.
Additionally, the writing was a challenge in more place than one - there were some forced metaphors and the writing isn't super accessible, even to those who are used to reading fantasy and sci-fi. The aggressive use of SAT style words led to overcomplicated and flowery prose that convoluted the meaning. The author was trying so hard to write a beautiful book that sometimes it was an incomprehensible book.
Now that we got the bad out of the way with - the back half of the book was what really had me stopping in awe more than once. There's a lot of set up, but if you can deal with the writing, the pay off is certainly worth it. I was impressed by the unique spin on the time travel trope - its done with a lot of precision and expertise, and the twists that you're treated to in the last 50 pages are really stunning and well done.
Our narrator and protagonist, the daughter of Cambodian immigrants, inadvertently finds herself working for a British spy agency that has embarked on a secret project to bring a collection of individuals from the past into modern-day Britain. She is assigned as a "bridge" - essentially a companion and cultural encyclopedia - to one of the time travelers. She must quickly confront a whole host of cultural complexities (gender, race, colonialism, romance, technology...) alongside the man she is tasked with protecting and defending. It made for a fascinating and sometimes complicated read, but when I think back over this book one thing that stands out to me is that I've never read anything like it and I doubt I ever will again!
Additionally, the writing was a challenge in more place than one - there were some forced metaphors and the writing isn't super accessible, even to those who are used to reading fantasy and sci-fi. The aggressive use of SAT style words led to overcomplicated and flowery prose that convoluted the meaning. The author was trying so hard to write a beautiful book that sometimes it was an incomprehensible book.
Now that we got the bad out of the way with - the back half of the book was what really had me stopping in awe more than once. There's a lot of set up, but if you can deal with the writing, the pay off is certainly worth it. I was impressed by the unique spin on the time travel trope - its done with a lot of precision and expertise, and the twists that you're treated to in the last 50 pages are really stunning and well done.
Our narrator and protagonist, the daughter of Cambodian immigrants, inadvertently finds herself working for a British spy agency that has embarked on a secret project to bring a collection of individuals from the past into modern-day Britain. She is assigned as a "bridge" - essentially a companion and cultural encyclopedia - to one of the time travelers. She must quickly confront a whole host of cultural complexities (gender, race, colonialism, romance, technology...) alongside the man she is tasked with protecting and defending. It made for a fascinating and sometimes complicated read, but when I think back over this book one thing that stands out to me is that I've never read anything like it and I doubt I ever will again!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Genocide, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Blood, Cannibalism, Cultural appropriation