In modern day London, a special government agent known only as a Bridge meets her new charge, Commander Graham Gore, previously a member of a failed arctic expedition in the mid-1800s, now alive and somehow living in London alongside a few other travelers from ages gone by. This story alternates between the current day and Gore's expedition in the late 1840s, weaving together the tale of how a man who was, by all accounts, dead for centuries, is now alive and learning to acclimate alongside his historic cohorts and the Bridge.

This book kind of defies explanation, and there were times that I, quite frankly, felt like I might not be able to fully understand it. Then I realized that I was making the mistake of trying to guess where the story was going, rather than allowing it to unfold in the order the author intended. Once I stopped trying to be smarter than the book, I was able to appreciate the story beats, the turns it took, and the ending that I absolutely did not see coming.

This is a book that requires you to pay attention. There a deliberate pacing to the story, you meet characters who act in a specific manner that better informs who they will become down the line. The beating heart of the story is Graham, who manages to ground the absurdity of the situation (time travel is real?) in compassion, a willingness to learn, and the ability to be open to those around him, including the Bridge. 

While I may not sound effusive about this book, I still find myself drifting back to some of its themes for further consideration. Enjoyed seems like the wrong verb, but appreciated may be more apt. Overall, I suspect I'll find myself revisiting this one after I've had time to marinate on it for a while.