Book Review The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley 5/5 stars

  Readers!  I'm ashamed to admit that I essentially slept on Bradley's The ministry of Time because 

I frankly did not like the cover. 

I mean... 

It honestly did nothing for me.  I heard a lot about this novel, but I kind of think that most of the nice people trying to sell it on Tik Tok either hadn't read it, or didn't have the ability to really speak about it. (I've seen many negative reviews from people complaining that they "Had to look up words from the book")  They all made it sound sort of...well, lets just say not one of those hundreds of Tik Toks influenced me in a good way. 

But it has been nominated for a 2025 Hugo award, so I decided I'd give it a go. So... this was a lesson for me.  Firstly Tik Tok reviewers are not always very good at their reviewing, and I guess the old adage about judging a book by it's cover would also be true.  I would hope maybe - given it's smashing success- they might consider a different cover, one without the fake GMA sticker that no one wants on their cover, and something other than just circa disco era lettering? 

So, I LOVED THIS NOVEL WITH MY WHOLE HEART and possibly some of my soul as well. I'm not sure how it holds up against the others, but it's definitely one of my favorites of the six. 

  In short (with no spoilers because spoilers are just the worst...) This is a story that one could tackle on many levels.  The basic premise is that in a near future UK, the Government has found a way to time travel. The agency then decides to displace 5 figures from history that "would have otherwise perished"  and bring them into the current time. Each is assigned an agent to assist them in adjustment to time and monitor their health and behavior. All of these displaced persons are fascinating and well fleshed out- not one is a cardboard cutout for things to "happen to"  (Kudos to Bradley for this feat!) As this year winds along, our narrator discovers that there is far more going on than just an experiment with temporal space. Suddenly she is embroiled in a high stakes cat and mouse kind of game between the displaced persons, people in her era and those in the future. Throughout the novel, our narrator - who is the child of a Cambodian refugee, opens up space for her characters and readers to reflect on how we perceive race, gender, religion, mental health, sexuality and power. We end with a definite change in circumstances for all involved, but one that was entirely gentle and somewhat hopeful. 

  My only disappointment is that I wasn't able to read it with a group of people because I just know that would have enhanced my enjoyment tenfold. 

I am very interested in what Bradley is going to produce next! 

STATS

First Published : May 2024 

Pages: 352

Available as an Audio Book : YES

Trigger Warnings:  racism, confinement, institutionalized racism,  emotional abuse, alcohol, gun violence, mental health, sexism, death,