THE MINISTRY OF TIME
by Kaliane Bradley
I might not have found this clever debut novel about time travel if my friend Jane hadn’t recommended it. Then after I’d finished reading it, I saw that it was on Barack Obama’s summer reading list! In thinking about how to characterize The Ministry of Time, I hesitate to call it science fiction. But because some of it takes place in the future and time travel plays a major role, I guess that is its genre. Having decided that, though, I think The Ministry of Time really does not conform to my pre-conceived notions of science fiction—i.e. lots of technical descriptions of imagined machines and powers.
What the novel does explore is the fascinating turn a young woman’s life suddenly takes. She is a civil servant in a government job in London, eager for job advancement. She is offered a top-secret position, with a handsome pay raise as a “bridge,” or person responsible for resettling one of the several “ex-pats” that the British government extracted from past times and caused to travel forward in time to current day London. Commander Gore, had been a Commander in the British Royal Navy in the 19th century. As the two characters settle into their top-secret live-in situation, many hilarious conversations ensue. Everything from society’s embrace of changes in women’s status, to explanations about developments in science and medicine, to new gadgets and technology.
As the story proceeds, two important threads develop. One is the mounting sexual attraction between the modern-day protagonist and her centuries-old charge, which is strictly forbidden in the program. The second is that Commander Gore seems to receive special privileges from the higher ups. What ensues is a growing suspicion on both the protagonist’s and the reader’s parts as we try to unravel the true goals of the government program and who is really in charge.
The Ministry of Time is a novel unlike any that I’ve read before. It is clever and well written and will keep you guessing. It’s a great read. (Liz)
