This month we’re discussing The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley - and you’re welcome whether you’ve read every page, just started, or haven’t opened it yet. Thoughts, questions and half‑formed feelings all welcome.

How the evening works

We’ll start with a relaxed intro to The Ministry of Time, then break into small groups for book chats before moving on to our much‑loved communal book swap. Bring along a book to swap, and leave with new recommendations.

New to the club?

Perfect. This is an easy-going evening of conversation, laughter and books changing hands. It’s open to anyone who enjoys reading and good company - members, friends, partners, neighbours. If you’re looking to bring more reading into your life, this is a great place to start.

More on this month’s book:

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

Light and funny, but with a solid literary punch. Our narrator, a civil servant in near-future London, is assigned to oversee a time-transplanted figure from the nineteenth century. What begins as bureaucratic admin becomes something more complicated.

The ‘transplanted’ figure is Graham Gore, a real-life naval officer from Franklin’s doomed Arctic expedition, pulled through time at the point of death by the UK government. Can a contemporary woman and a historical man get along? The novel lets that question play out without leaning too hard into clumsy fish-out-of-water caricature. Graham is witty and observant, the sort of person who could capably find his footing in any era. Big themes like postcolonial entitlement, race and belonging wrapped up in mystery and a love story.