The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
John le Carré meets “Kate and Leopold” in this genre-bending debut.
An unnamed British civil servant transfers to new hush-hush department to work on a secret project: studying the effects of time travel on human subjects. She is paired with Lt. Graham Gore, a navy officer rescued from a doomed 1845 polar expedition, and assigned to work as his “bridge” to the 21st century. Living as unlikely roommates in London, she reports on Gore and his reactions to modernity.
As the bridge and her “expat” spend more time together, their relationship starts feeling less like a project and more like a friendship—or maybe more. But dangers are closing in: other expats start succumbing to the bodily effects of time travel. Gore has a stalker. And the bridge keeps receiving coded messages from an ex-colleague who has ethical concerns about the project’s true purpose.
Kaliane Bradley is testing out a lot of ideas here—some of them work better than others. This twisty debut novel is at its best when it leans into quippy dialogue and romance.
Reviewed by Emma Radosevich, collection development librarian, Whatcom County Library System
(Originally published in Bellingham Alive September 2024 issue.)