The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
SYNOPSIS
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 machines,” “Spotify,” and “the collapse of the British Empire.” But with an appetite for discovery, a seven-a-day cigarette habit, and the support of a charming and chaotic cast of fellow expats, he soon adjusts.
Over the next year, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a horrifically uncomfortable roommate dynamic, evolves into something much deeper. By the time the true shape of the Ministry’s project comes to light, the bridge has fallen haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences she never could have imagined. Forced to confront the choice that brought them together, the bridge must finally reckon with how - and whether she believes - what she does next can change the future.
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Note: I will discuss the main themes of the book which, if you want to go in completely blind, could be MINOR spoilers but I do not spoil anything major from the plot itself. Read at your own descretion.
This book was a meandering yet punctuating insight into how close some current “first world” government hierarchal systems are to authoritarianism. It was a fascinating adventure through time while also providing shocking portrayal about how easy it is for your world view to be completely warped. I do think the marketing does this book a disservice by portraying it as a sci-fi type romance. Yes, there is a romance element in it, but it is not the main plot in my opinion. And the way it was marketed was the main reason why I didn’t want to read it (until Eden Yonas recommended it and then I was SOLD). This book is a contemporary lit-fic with sci-fi and romance elements woven in. We also had two stories in one. Our present timeline which encapsulates the synopsis of the book, and a second timeline interwoven chapter by chapter with Gore’s time in the Arctic on the expedition that he’s ripped from to join our main character’s timeline. I loved that it almost felt like a palimpsest, his current story being used to write over his past experiences. This may be one of the best books I read this year. Definitely worth all 5 stars.
We follow the bridge as she interviews for this unknown role and somewhat falls into a ministry operation that she had no previous knowledge of nor ambition to be part of. Yet in her ambition to distance herself from her mother’s immigrant status and her background as much as possible while getting as close to power as she can, she does whatever her superiors tell her. And, despite getting close to many of the expats that are part of the project, proceeds to stay loyal to her job even as her eyes are slowly opened to what is really going on. Inside of this story we get insights into Gore’s point of view of his passion (hunting) and his character (steadfast) as well as the mistakes he’s made that, in our world views have significantly changed (race equality). Neither character is good or bad, and this book becomes a study in characters who are morally grey and how easily corruption takes over.
Our main character “the bridge” comes off for a good portion of the novel as naive but what she actually is is willfully ignorant. As we read through her eyes we see how often and how easily she turns a blind eye to injustices, making excuses for the things she thinks and feels are wrong. Reading from her point of view almost made this novel, in this day and age, feel like a slow dawning horror. She barrels so unwittingly toward fascist thought that by the time you and her realize it, it’s gotten pretty serious. It was an interesting study on how normally “good” people can allow themselves to fall into such mindsets as “well I was just doing my job” “I was just following the law” “I didn’t think it would go this far”. I couldn’t look away from the slow train-wreck that would inevitably come to fruition.
Our main male character, Graham Gore, is mind boggling. He is described in such a way that we’re meant to fall for him, and I can see how easy it would be too, but he’s not fully good or bad either. He comes from a time and place where certain words and behaviours towards non-white folk were acceptable. He was part of an expedition that did serious harm and, though he reflects on these actions as morally bad once he sees the “equality” in the present time, he’s still proud of his achievements and is slow to stop using some hurtful words and slurs. Can it be excused as habbit? Can we look past it as someone who is working to unlearn past wrongdoings? Gore is funny, and charming, and seems to be a stable friend and a strong character but there is always an insinuation or expectation that we may not fully know what he will do which made him such a fascinating and unpredictable character to read. He leaves the reader with so many mixed feelings on whether or not we love him, or despise him.
This book was rich with real world reflection and political intrigue. Tying in sci-fi, romance, espionage, and history into a fantastic and unique blend for a book unlike any I’ve read before. The writing was rich and the prose were poetic. I was awestruck by the way Bradley described emotion and experience. This is a must-read book to anyone that reads this blog. It’s a five star read all the way. I can’t wait to read more of what Bradley puts out into the world.