The Ministry of Time: A Novel

Written by Kaliane Bradley

Narrated by George Weightman and Katie Leung

ONE OF BARACK OBAMA’S FAVORITE BOOKS OF SUMMER 2024 • A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • HUGO AWARD FINALIST FOR BEST NOVEL • WINNER OF THE GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD FOR SCIENCE FICTION • A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR, VANITY FAIR, ESQUIRE, VOX, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, THE INDEPENDENT, PARADE, KIRKUS REVIEWS, AND MORE…

“This summer’s hottest debut.” —Cosmopolitan • “Witty, sexy escapist fiction [that] packs a substantial punch...Fresh and thrilling.” —Los Angeles Times • “Electric...I loved every second.” —Emily Henry

“Utterly winning...Imagine if The Time Traveler’s Wife had an affair with A Gentleman in Moscow...Readers, I envy you: There’s a smart, witty novel in your future.” —Ron Charles, The Washington Post

A time travel romance, a spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingenious exploration of the nature of power and the potential for love to change it all: Welcome to The Ministry of Time, the exhilarating debut novel by Kaliane Bradley.

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 choices that brought them together, the bridge must finally reckon with how—and whether she believes—what she does next can change the future.

An exquisitely original and feverishly fun fusion of genres and ideas, The Ministry of Time asks: What does it mean to defy history, when history is living in your house? Kaliane Bradley’s answer is a blazing, unforgettable testament to what we owe each other in a changing world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: May 7, 2024
• ISBN: 9781797176888

Kaliane Bradley

Kaliane Bradley is a British-Cambodian writer and editor based in London. Her short fiction has appeared in Somesuch Stories, The Willowherb Review, Electric Literature, Catapult, and Extra Teeth, among others. She was the winner of the 2022 Harper’s Bazaar Short Story Prize and the 2022 V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize.

Reviews for The Ministry of Time

[ytq4gx4wzn · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Annoying sex scenes and all those cigarettes, but quite enjoyable

[Paulina Zepeda · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book! It had been a while since the last time I enjoyed a book as much as I enjoyed this one.

[jamey oneal · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Audiobook. The male narrator was very good. The female one was passable.

This felt like insipid fan fiction. I felt embarrassed reading this because it was like when someone who isn't very bright wants you to think they are smart. The writing, first and foremost, was atrocious. I could possibly forgive that for a new writer, but it had no other redeeming qualities.
First of all, this book is not about time travel. It's a romance - and a bad, uncomfortable, highly unethical one at that. The time travel aspect is a handwave of magic and honestly not really important to the story. It would have been better had they been immigrants, tbh.
The MC is just terrible. And for a book that spends so much time moralizing, they let this woman be a groomer in the most gross way. She was terrible at her job of caring for her client and instead drags him into the most unsettling 'romance.' Literally a groomer, but it's supposed to be cute because she's colonizing him, get it? Har har. Or they are both fish out of water largely because he was part of the era of Briton that made her fell that way but now he feels that way in hos own land-get it? Tee hee hee. It was creepy. And it doesn't stop there-there is a magical negro, there is a spunky boobalicious lesbian, and countless other tropes in a book that is absolutely SEEPED in PC morality. And, look, I'm a genuine alphabet flag waving brown person who has literally hugged tress, and this novel is an unintentional parody of all that we actually want regarding representation and inclusion. I really hope this woman never writes Black women or bi/gay characters again.
This book is so, so bad. It's interspersed with flashbacks of the MMC from his journal, and it adds nothing to the story. It seems like that was what Bradley really wanted to write about - fanfic from the AMC miniseries The Terror and built a really gross story around it. I can't emphasize enough that the romance is extremely unethical and creepy. Also, I'm no blushing flower around spicy content, but the sex scenes were so awkward and weird, it was as if it was lifted from a virgin teenager's tumblr Twilight fanfic post. So bad.

Years ago, I watched a Spanish TV show with the same name and a lot of similar aspects and kept giving me dejavu, but it was taken off the channel I watched it on before I could finish it. Apparently there is some controversy about plagiarism, and I thought she must have been a contributor to the show-especially since so much was lifted from The Terror but apparent not and I'm no expert, but just thought I'd point that out.

It started OK, got bad, and continued to decline. It's not about time travel, it's a romance between one terrible woman and some poor chap who she groomed, and a lot of nonsense, all poorly written. I wish I hadn't read it.

[Paige Wallace Eads · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The pacing felt weird at times and the sort of major moral or theme felt very over emphasized.

[Susan Wales · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a wonderful read! This book was incredibly well written as well as narrated. The plot was interesting as well. I was very sad when it ended

[E.M. Wilcox · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Twisty and unexpected approach to time travel, engrossing and slyly humorous throughout.

[Anne D · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

More than anything I’m impressed how the idea of this whole thing came to be. Very nice.

[jenna · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book. I didn't know what to expect from it, really, but it was delightful. Unique and interesting. I really liked the authors writing style, I'll definitely look forward to reading more from her in the future.

[Paul H · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There's not much I can say about this book that doesn't veer into spoiler territory. Anyone who enjoys a good time-travel narrative will definitely enjoy this one!

[K McKinney · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I did not like it that much, boring and bland

[Mavis Irving · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was cracking good. And I haven’t read anything that I would consider that good in a long while.

[Penélope Fermín · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Extremely boring, please safe yourself read something else.

I had this book for so long on my TBR, what a disappointment

[Jennifer Halsey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Occasionally hard to follow. I liked the basic story but then they got romance in my sci-fi.

[Ray · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

DNFd at 39%. The book had no identity & felt like it missed the mark on all like 6 genres it tried to be. Maybe fun for someone else, not a very compelling sci-fi, romance, or historical fiction book for me.

[Jan Burke · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It takes more than just a “good writer” to create a time travel tale that will cause the reader to suspend belief and buy into the concept. This is a highly promising first book. An absorbing story literarily written. I listened to the audio and at times felt tempted to switch to reading the written word to savor its beauty. I look forward to seeing future books from this new author!

[viribaby · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Unfortunately did not like the ending so much, so i took away a star

[Samir Iskander · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the best fiction books I've read in ages! I dove in and ignored everything until it was finished. Left me wanting more.
Great prose, fantastic imagery, and fascinating characters.

[kawal · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

None of the reviews or blurbs I saw, none of the synopsis I saw actually captured what this story was. I’m glad I went into this blind. Loved it.

[mmora239 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Honestly don’t understand the hype. The book seemed creative at first but then it became cliche and predictable. It devolved into something parallel to fan fiction. Also, the originality of the story and even the title felt diminished to me after I found out that it shares many similarities with a Spanish TV show that precedes it.

[Dona McCormack · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

DNF @ 61%

For a book with so many fascinating elements, it was just a mindless read for me. I just wish Bradley had done something else with this concept and this plot than to write a tepid forbidden romance.

Partial Reading Notes

Despite the amenities and pleasures of the twenty-first century, he was bored. He had been handed a plush-lined life, with time to read and pursue thoughts to the phantasmagoric end, totaled in whole seasons of the British Film Institute, to walk for miles, to master some art and paint to his heart's content. He did not need to work, to exchange the sweat of his brow.... And yet, he was bored from having no purpose. ...I was afraid he was getting bored of me.

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. The writing is good. Wonderful descriptions.

2. I tried a cautious smile. "Careful," he said. "Your germs are showing." I love a fish out of water!

3. The midpoint narrative turn is actually pretty great. I wish there had been more to suggest it throughout the first half.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. I don't really understand the flashbacks into his past.

2. I usually love time travel books! I love to watch the characters and author wrestle with the linguistic and narrative conflicts that arise naturally from the inclusion of fictional technology that's largely considered, if not impossible, then at least completely speculative. But Bradley simply bypasses this question and ignores the wealth of narrative and conflict treasures in favor of other questions. Like how would a Victorian sea captain from the 18th century respond to contemporary racial conventions? I don't think contemporary racial conventions as a theme are boring, but I'm not sure why an anachronistic perspective on them is suppose to be good entertainment.

Thank you to the author Kaliane Bradley, publishers Avid Reader Press, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of THE MINISTER OF TIME. I found an audiobook copy on Everand. All views are mine.

[Terry Stone · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The characters step off the page and lead the reader into a labyrinth of possibilities. Is this novel historical or total fiction? Is time relative or is it in a bottle? Take the time required to enjoy this fine work.

[BT Taurus · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Predictable of any author that wants to keep getting book deals. Checks all the boxes. LGBQ, feminism, minority victimhood, and usage of all SAT words possible.

[Quinn Lathrop · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Had potential but pacing was uneven and there was too much romance instead of fantasy/sci-fi per my expectations. I finished it wanting to see the end of the story but could have given up half way through and been ok.

[allison · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Perfection

So surprised
But then I wasn’t.
I had no idea what to except that I love time travel and then I saw it on Obamas list.

This was incredible. The writing, the story. Just incredible

[Claire McFadden · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I’m not sure I get the hype of this book. Either way, I would strongly recommend reading a print version over audiobook since the romance parts got a little awkward in audio form and I think would’ve been better if I’d just read them.

[debbie karambowich · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was awesome! It was not what i expected at all. If you are time travel resistant - it is part of the background more than the front story line. The book was more of a character exploration, thriller, romance and a bit of sci fi and government conspiracy on the side. Just read it!