Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Entertainment
Bec Kavanagh

Time Travel for Beginners by Jaclyn Moriarty review – an imaginative tale of turning back time

Author Jaclyn Moriarty and book cover of Time Travel for Beginners
Jaclyn Moriarty ‘has a flair for knitting together the worlds of magic and reality’. Illustration: Steve Brown/Guardian Design

Anyone familiar with Jaclyn Moriarty’s work will love her quiet whimsy and gentle magic. Across her extensive catalogue of books for adults and children, Moriarty has a flair for knitting together the worlds of magic and reality. In Time Travel For Beginners, Moriarty’s third novel for adults, the eponymous time travel agency is a gateway to possibility and wonder – for characters and readers alike.

Found between a gelato bar and a pharmacy in Sydney’s Neutral Bay, the agency is neither hi-tech nor magical. Described at varying points as “riotous”, “unassuming” and “a joke”, it isn’t exactly the height of prestige. Protagonist Anna takes a job there in a concussed haze after she’s been hit by a car. But even though Anna doesn’t believe in time travel, from her first day she senses something special about her new workplace.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.