The Ministry of Time

A Novel

By: Kaliane Bradley

Narrated by: George Weightman, 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.

Critic reviews

"Audiobook reader Katie Leung’s excellent narration covers events in the present, demonstrating a deft ability to recreate the cadences of different time periods for different expats. George Weightman narrates moments from the characters’ pasts, giving these reflections a solemn, nostalgic tone. Together, their complementary narrative styles reflect the time-twisting, culture-crossing nature of this book. Weightman and Leung bring the many histories and personalities of this time-travel adventure to life, making The Ministry of Time a uniquely immersive listening experience." (—Tami Orendain)

"Katie Leung narrates this time-travel novel from the point of view of the unnamed protagonist, who works as a “bridge” at the British government’s Ministry of Time. They have technology that allows them to pluck people out of time and are studying whether these “expats” can survive with no ill effects. The bridge is helping her expat, 1800s polar explorer Graham Gore, adapt to the future; they live together and inevitably grow closer. Leung’s Graham is especially appealing, as is her performance of Margaret, an expat from the seventeenth century whose accent is described as unplaceable and who takes to modern times surprisingly well. George Weightman sounds like he was plucked right out of the era himself as he narrates interspersed sections that detail Graham’s doomed polar expedition."

More than the sum of its parts but…

I want to say upfront that I liked “The Ministry of Time.” It’s inventive, and thought provoking, and original. The deft prose of first-time (!) author Kaliane Bradley is scrumptious and assured. She writes the kind of sentences worth rereading aloud for their beauty. The topics she touches on are important and timely. Her characters (one based on a real historical figure) feel three-dimensional.

But - and this is important - it was nothing like the book I expected. Or, to be more accurate, the book I was told to expect.

It’s not just that the punchy primary-color cover telegraphs that we’re safely in zany or cozy Sci-Fi territory, promising something akin to “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” or “The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet.” It’s also that so many book reviews describe “The Ministry of Time” as “a rip-roaring romp” (Kirkus), “escapist fiction” (LA Times), “a lot of fun” (Washington Post), and a “time-travel romance cum sci-fi comedy” (The Guardian).

Nope.

Or maybe it’s just that I think the pervasive and unflinching exploration of racism, sexism, micro-aggressions, genocide, terrorism, imperialism, displacement, sexuality, religion, cannibalism, survivor guilt, post -traumatic-stress, and climate crisis don’t make for fun escapism. If you’re easily triggered, consider yourself warned.

Elsewhere, The LA Times did better with “edgy, playful and provocative… likely to be the most thought-provoking romance novel of the summer,” but still misses the mark on the book’s tone. While there are occasional playful and often romantic (or at least sexual) situations, the implication that this book fits neatly into any category, let alone Rom-Com or Sci-Fi, does a disservice to both “The Ministry of Time” and to fans of those genres who may find their tropes in service to something they don’t recognize at all.

If “The Ministry of Time” shares DNA with any genre more than another it’s Dystopian Suspense. Maybe something by China Mieville, like “The City & The City.” It’s a moody, often moving, read. And one worth your while if you know what you’re getting into. Just go in with your eyes and mind open.

A depressingly accurate description of advancing moral bankruptcy woven into a compelling narrative.

Let me first start by saying I rarely feel moved to write a review.

However, this novel, while not “entertaining”, was certainly compelling and kept me listening. The story line was well developed and not as formulaic as most of the drivel being released.

Whether intentional or not, the author has delivered a damning (and sadly, accurate) description of the personality war that often occurs between duty/morality and the pursuit of power; especially in government service.

I thoroughly appreciated the authors use and application of language. Her prose is thoughtful and precise, lacking the clumsiness of metaphor often exhibited by over-eager authors.

I will caution you that the book feels as if it ends abruptly; hopefully, that presages a sequel.

Probably should have read, not listened

Almost gave up, irritated by the performance. This was improved by listening at 1.2 speed.

unexpected time travel twists with interesting historical characters

beautiful prose and moving relationships strengthen time travel adventure. award nominated made me want to learn more about Franklin expedition

A thrilling ride through time

Love a good love story, when you add time travel I am enthralled. I think this book will make a great movie or miniseries.