Fabulous Fiction Firsts #841

Tue, 07/23/2024 - 4:03pm by muffy

The Ministry of Time * *  by British-Cambodian writer Kaliane Bradley (also in downloadable eBook and audiobook) is a “fantastical combination of time-travel novel, spy thriller and slow-burn romance.” (BookPage) 

Near future, London. An unnamed translator for Britain's Ministry of Defence is offered a plum appointment in a secret government project that gathers “expats” from across history, in a time-travel experiment.  Our narrator’s task is to act as a “bridge”, assisting and orienting her assigned expat to resettle in the 21st-century. 

Her charge, known as "1847" or Commander Graham Gore died on Sir John Franklin's doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, arriving in the future sometime before his death, thus finding himself disoriented to be surrounded by outlandish concepts such as "washing machines," "Spotify," and the collapse of the British Empire. Over the next year, what began as 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. 

“... while this quasi-futuristic tale of time and tenderness never seems to take itself too seriously, it also offers a meaningful, nuanced perspective on the challenges we face, the choices we make, and the way we live and love today. This rip-roaring romp pivots between past and present and posits the future-altering power of love, hope, and forgiveness. “ (Kirkus Reviews)

For fans of The Time Traveler's Wife (2003) by Audrey Niffenegger , and Time After Time (2019) by Lisa Grunwald.

* * = 2 starred reviews