Kat Fink

The Ministry of Time asks important questions about what makes a person a person. If you take them out of their own time, if you remove them from their home and culture, or if you saved their life- how does that impact their personhood? Many of the characters in the novel experience some form of displacement, and are, therefore, negatively impacted by their change in citizenship whether it is through their interactions with others or their perception of themselves.

The narrator is often mocking her expat’s faith in God, but she isn’t able to sense that she has misplaced faith in the organization she works for. Faith and belief can guide a person’s moral compass, as it does Graham’s, or it can cloud their judgment, as it does with our narrator. So many times in the novel, faith meant not asking the questions that needed to be asked.

We know history was written by the victors, and that old adage rings true here, too. The narrator impacts Graham’s understanding of the world, openly admitted that she feels power in her ability to fill his “blank slate” with her own likes, dislikes, and beliefs about the contemporary world. His story in the 18th Century has ended, and she can rewrite him anew in the 21st.

The narrator expresses frustration at her sister’s retelling of not only their childhood as immigrants but of their mother’s experience in the Cambodian genocide. The narrator feels this is not her sister’s story to tell, or that the details have been too elaborated on or fabricated that they no longer resemble the truth. Truth in this matter is, of course, subjective. A concept that the narrator extends grace towards for herself for, but rarely offers the same courtesy for others.

Additionally, the ex-patriots all have stories of their own, but they have been researched and sifted through the filter of science before they even arrive in the future. Their stories, their identities, become damaged under this proverbial microscope.

I know that’s three different themes, but they all work together in this book to one of the biggest themes; power. The narrator is quick to point out to Graham that he lived in the Victorian Era, and age known for it’s seizure of several peoples and places in a quest to build an empire. She remarks on the history of England taking what it wanted from wherever it could get it, but she’s outlining this to a person who was literally snatched out of time without consent. Granted, it was done so through an English government organization, but she is condescending towards Graham and his ideals whilst forgetting that he was a person who was harmed by the system as well.

Being of English and Cambodian descent, the narrator focuses on the hybridity she has to navigate between these two cultures. In the beginning of her relationship with Graham, she hides her ethnicity, hoping to “pass as white” (her words) in order to avoid conflict with him. This shows a reluctance not only to embrace her heritage, much like her coworker Simellia but that she is uncomfortable even navigating the waters of her race herself, let alone other people. In turn, both characters struggle to work for an organization that exhibits much of the colonizing behavior that their own cultures have experienced.

Ships and sailing become analogies for life. Graham’s life was meant to end on a treacherous voyage of exploration, but he ends up going on an even grander journey than he imagined. Graham views his life like a ship that is in God’s hands, a common analogy for the time he was born, and one that translates to the modern day.

The narrator uses food, traditional Asian recipes, to connect with her culture. In turn, Graham begins to learn how to cook these meals for her. In both cases, food becomes a symbol and catalyst for connection.

Water imagery is important for the story, which makes sense considering Graham is a sailor. Many times throughout the story, it symbolizes powerlessness in the face of nature. Graham tries to conquer the ice, and it almost leads to his death. Again, he tries to manage a flood in their street which, of course, he has no control over. In the end, the find themselves in catacombs where the water has trapped them until the tide roles out. As a person who loves control, he tries to manipulate the elements and always comes up short.