I am a former diplomat who worked on immigration to the U.S. for years, and this book spoke to me on so many levels. I haven’t been so moved by a fantasy novel since The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab, maybe even Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, both of which I will use as a basis of comparison while handselling the hell out of this book. The premise is not simple, but this world is incredibly easy to enter. The UK government of the near future has discovered time travel and is testing its impact on the bodies and minds of five “expats,” rescued from certain deaths in large-scale calamities of history. Each expat is assigned a “bridge,” a civil servant who will help them acclimatize to modernity (while reporting on their every move to the Ministry). At its heart, this novel is an often hilarious romance between one bridge and her expat. But the depth of world-building around their relationship, the back stories of each character, and the tremendous emotion on display through Ms. Bradley’s exquisite way with words make this anything but your run-of-the-mill love story. Come for the Bond-like moments of adventure. Stay for the pearls of wisdom Ms. Bradley drops on how our futures are truly built, one sealed door of possibility, hope, and forgiveness at a time.
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, (List Price: $28.99, Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster, 9781668045145, May 2024)
Reviewed by Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books in Salisbury, Mississippi