My Favorite Asian Authored Book of 2024
Review of The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
To travel back in time, to extract someone right before they die, THE MINISTRY OF TIME by Kaliane Bradley is such a wild, fantastical ride. With witty banter, a dynamic cast of characters, and thought provoking themes like “colonizer and colonized,” this sci-fi romance novel by a British-Cambodian author was truly a breath of fresh air. Thus, the MINISTRY OF TIME by Kaliane Bradley is my favorite Asian Authored book this year.
This book is so special because of the way it is told, and because of WHO tells the story. At the surface level, it seems just like a sci fi novel. But it is SO much deeper. How multi layered that is, to have a main character that is British Cambodian, who comes from a family from a colonized country - only to end up working for another colonizer in the name of “saving” people?
Some of my friends have said the sci-fi wasn’t “sci-fi”ing enough, others wish there was more romance. For me, I typically read neither of those, so I felt like it was plenty sci fi and too much romance. But it makes up for all of that with an unpredictable plot, the hilarious Old English banter, the learning about the “future” when you’re from the “past.”
Can we talk about how quirky and interesting Commander Gore is? How fascinating it is to time travel to meet an Arctic Explorer. The research that Bradley did for this novel is vast and I learned so much about the Arctic that I hadn’t known before.
I read some random Goodreads review (why do that to myself? haha) that said they were annoyed with this “dual timeline,” that the MC was so egocentric. But it’s not about egocentrism. It is recognizing that colonization and genocide has horrific consequences, some visible, some invisible. For survivors and descendants of survivors, we grapple with these consequences every day. When I see pictures of other people’s grandparents, I smile at their reunions, but I also grieve for my own grandparents who died during the Khmer Rouge. It is a loss that is forever felt ; this book depicts this dual reality well.
Check out Greg Olear’s review of “The Ministry of Time”. I often wonder how readers who are not Khmer perceive this novel, and worry they miss the real message. But reading his substack piece (which he shares far more plot and summary than I do here), he totally gets it. Also, Darathtey Din’s : Campuccino #80 , a blogger in Cambodia, who mentions MINISTRY OF TIME as well.
For those who have only heard about Angkor Wat, or “The Killing Fields”, or for fellow Khmer friends who want to read about something other than those two things- I encourage you to read this book. Let’s chat afterwards about it !
Have you read THE MINISTRY OF TIME?
I love this review and the points you address. So much more than what people see from the surface level. And to some point, as a reader… there’s no way to expect more if you can’t relate to some point of the main character’s historical/cultural background. The research was good and I felt like the timeline and plot was well thought out. Love the plot twists! I thought the romance was enough and even sad. Commander Gore’s quirk is so funny and loveable.
Gosh, I must be in the minority, as I give this book a 3.5-3.75. I agree that it is a breath of fresh air about the Khmer diaspora experience. It was like, "Finally, we can have fun all the while discussing our past through acknowledgment." I've been thinking about this for a long time and have been timid about publishing work that pushes those boundaries. I believe Anthony So is another author who does this well through his writing and book!
Some parts of the book felt disjointed or rushed to me (why I wanted so badly for it to be a 4 or 5). Maybe this was because the character developed from someone serious to someone who felt insecure or unsure, revealing their softer/goofy/fun side. I do enjoy the banter between her and Gore.
I picked up the book at my library and saw it was labeled "Romance." I honestly thought this book was mis-genre (? I don't know if such a word exists) because, based on the synopsis, I thought it would be a fiction/sci-fi read. I was shocked that I enjoyed the romance part while envisioning the scenario in my head as if it were a movie. The twist at the end was like, wow! I didn't see that happening and thought I would re-read some passages that could give me clues about it.
I use Storygraph, an app for tracking and rating books. I, too, should stop reading reviews because I think some people missed the point and didn't understand the references the way we probably do (or probably don't know much about the Khmer Rouge), which annoyed me in some ways. I love championing new Khmer authors and wish there were more exposure to the plethora of books that now exist! Maybe after writing out my thoughts to someone who read the book, I can give it a 4 because I did enjoy it.