Helpful Score: 1
"It's a time travel romance about bureaucracy, empire, and cigarettes."--Quote from Kaliane Bradley during a Waterstones interview.
Time travel stories often elicit an eye roll from me due to their predictability and reliance on cliches like the Butterfly Effect. Despite having enjoyed time travel yarns in the past, like the "Time Tunnel" show and movies like "Time Bandits" and "Time After Time," I feel I've explored this area sufficiently.
An unnamed narrator, the daughter of Cambodian refugees, has been accepted for a mysterious government job in Britain. The government has discovered a way to travel through time and has apprehended five individuals from the past, moments before their death. The aim is to research time travel's effects on humans.
In 1845 an Arctic expedition left Britain and never returned. Author Kaliane Bradley has taken one of the victims of this ill-fated journey, Captain Graham Gore, and inserted him into this plot. The narrator, in this role with the Ministry of Expatriation, is tasked with being his "bridge," to help him adjust to the modern world. The disorientation caused by technological advancements and societal changes, including the evolving role of women, creates humorous situations and sets the stage for a predictable romantic relationship.
Things take a darker turn, and the tone shifts dramatically as the government's true intentions become unclear. Suspicions of a hidden agenda arise, and the story abruptly transforms into a spy thriller. This shift feels sudden and disjointed, especially as it occurs so close to the end.
"The Ministry of Time" is a fun and multifaceted work that spans various genres, including science fiction, thriller, romance, and comedy. It also touches on diverse themes like history, environmentalism, grief, and imperialism. Despite its diverse elements, the conclusion left me feeling unfulfilled, perhaps due to the overwhelming rush of activity leading to the resolution.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Time travel stories often elicit an eye roll from me due to their predictability and reliance on cliches like the Butterfly Effect. Despite having enjoyed time travel yarns in the past, like the "Time Tunnel" show and movies like "Time Bandits" and "Time After Time," I feel I've explored this area sufficiently.
An unnamed narrator, the daughter of Cambodian refugees, has been accepted for a mysterious government job in Britain. The government has discovered a way to travel through time and has apprehended five individuals from the past, moments before their death. The aim is to research time travel's effects on humans.
In 1845 an Arctic expedition left Britain and never returned. Author Kaliane Bradley has taken one of the victims of this ill-fated journey, Captain Graham Gore, and inserted him into this plot. The narrator, in this role with the Ministry of Expatriation, is tasked with being his "bridge," to help him adjust to the modern world. The disorientation caused by technological advancements and societal changes, including the evolving role of women, creates humorous situations and sets the stage for a predictable romantic relationship.
Things take a darker turn, and the tone shifts dramatically as the government's true intentions become unclear. Suspicions of a hidden agenda arise, and the story abruptly transforms into a spy thriller. This shift feels sudden and disjointed, especially as it occurs so close to the end.
"The Ministry of Time" is a fun and multifaceted work that spans various genres, including science fiction, thriller, romance, and comedy. It also touches on diverse themes like history, environmentalism, grief, and imperialism. Despite its diverse elements, the conclusion left me feeling unfulfilled, perhaps due to the overwhelming rush of activity leading to the resolution.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
