Current:Home > MarketsBook excerpt: "The Ministry of Time" by Kaliane Bradley-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Book excerpt: "The Ministry of Time" by Kaliane Bradley
lotradecoin versus binance comparison View Date:2024-12-26 02:52:28
We may receive an affiliate commission from anything you buy from this article.
A delightful mix of historical fact and science fiction, Kaliane Bradley's debut novel "The Ministry of Time" (Simon & Schuster) mixes historical fact and science fiction in the story of a secret British agency that plucks doomed people from the past.
Read an excerpt below.
"The Ministry of Time" by Kaliane Bradley
$19 at AmazonPrefer to listen? Audible has a 30-day free trial available right now.
Try Audible for freeThe interviewer said my name, which made my thoughts clip. I don't say my name, not even in my head. She'd said it correctly, which people generally don't.
"I'm Adela," she said. She had an eye patch and blond hair the same color and texture as hay.
"I'm the Vice Secretary."
"Of ...?"
"Have a seat."
This was my sixth round of interviews. The job I was interviewing for was an internal posting. It had been marked SECURITY CLEARANCE REQUIRED because it was gauche to use the TOP SECRET stamps on paperwork with salary bands. I'd never been cleared to this security level, hence why no one would tell me what the job was. As it paid almost triple my current salary, I was happy to taste ignorance. I'd had to produce squeaky-clean grades in first aid, Safeguarding Vulnerable People, and the Home Office's Life in the UK test to get this far. I knew that I would be working closely with refugees of high-interest status and particular needs, but I didn't know from whence they were fleeing. I'd assumed politically important defectors from Russia or China.
Adela, Vice Secretary of God knows what, tucked a blond strand behind her ear with an audible crunch.
"Your mother was a refugee, wasn't she?" she said, which is a demented way to begin a job interview.
"Yes, ma'am." "Cambodia," she said. "Yes, ma'am."
I'd been asked this question a couple of times over the course of the interview process. Usually, people asked it with an upward lilt, expecting me to correct them, because no one's from Cambodia. You don't look Cambodian, one early clown had said to me, then glowed like a pilot light because the interview was being recorded for staff monitoring and training purposes. He'd get a warning for that one. People say this to me a lot, and what they mean is: you look like one of the late-entering forms of white—Spanish maybe—and also like you're not dragging a genocide around, which is good because that sort of thing makes people uncomfortable.
There was no genocide-adjacent follow-up: Any family still there [understanding moue]? Do you ever visit [sympathetic smile]? Beautiful country [darkening with tears]; when I visited [visible on lower lid] they were so friendly. ...
Adela just nodded. I wondered if she'd go for the rare fourth option and pronounce the country dirty.
"She would never refer to herself as a refugee, or even a former refugee," I added. "It's been quite weird to hear people say that."
"The people you will be working with are also unlikely to use the term. We prefer 'expat.' In answer to your question, I'm the Vice Secretary of Expatriation."
"And they are expats from ...?"
"History."
"Sorry?"
Adela shrugged. "We have time-travel," she said, like someone describing the coffee machine. "Welcome to the Ministry."
From "The Ministry of Time" by Kaliane Bradley. Copyright © 2024 by Kaliane Bradley. Excerpted with permission by Simon & Schuster, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Get the book here:
"The Ministry of Time" by Kaliane Bradley
$19 at Amazon $29 at Barnes & NobleBuy locally from Bookshop.org
For more info:
- "The Ministry of Time" by Kaliane Bradley (Simon & Schuster), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats
veryGood! (468)
Related
- Don't be fooled by the name and packaging: Fruit snacks are rarely good for you. Here's why.
- Is ice the right way to treat a sunburn? Here's what experts say.
- Nigel Farage criticizes racist remarks by Reform UK worker. But he later called it a ‘stitch-up’
- Over 130,000 Baseus portable chargers recalled after 39 fires and 13 burn injuries
- The president of Columbia University has resigned, effective immediately
- Florida arts groups left in the lurch by DeSantis veto of state funding for theaters and museums
- Prosecutors rest in seventh week of Sen. Bob Menendez’s bribery trial
- What to know about Oklahoma’s top education official ordering Bible instruction in schools
- Democrats try to block Green Party from presidential ballot in Wisconsin, citing legal issues
- Yellowstone officials: Rare white buffalo sacred to Native Americans not seen since June 4 birth
Ranking
- Stuffed or real? Photos show groundhog stuck inside claw machine
- CDK cyberattack outage could lead to 100,000 fewer cars sold in June, experts say
- The 5 weirdest moments from the grim first Biden-Trump debate
- Nigel Farage criticizes racist remarks by Reform UK worker. But he later called it a ‘stitch-up’
- Get Designer Michael Kors Bags on Sale Including a $398 Purse for $59 & More Deals Starting at $49
- Supreme Court rejects Trump ally Steve Bannon’s bid to delay prison sentence
- MLB trade deadline: Top 18 candidates to be dealt as rumors swirl around big names
- GOP lawmakers in Wisconsin appeal ruling allowing disabled people to obtain ballots electronically
Recommendation
-
The State Fair of Texas is banning firearms, drawing threats of legal action from Republican AG
-
Noah Lyles, Christian Coleman cruise into men's 200 final at Olympic track trials
-
'It took approximately 7-8 hours': Dublin worker captures Eras Tour setup at Aviva stadium
-
Lupita Nyong'o on how she overcame a lifelong fear for A Quiet Place: Day One
-
Hurricane Ernesto aims for Bermuda after leaving many in Puerto Rico without power or water
-
Team USA bringing its own air conditioning to Paris 2024 Olympics as athletes made it a very high priority
-
Whose fault is inflation? Trump and Biden blame each other in heated debate
-
Iran presidential election fails to inspire hope for change amid tension with Israel, domestic challenges