When my friend Sara gave me Samantha Harvey’s novel Orbital, I must admit I was a bit skeptical. I don’t usually gravitate toward books about space exploration. Yet Orbital is a beautiful read, filled with reverence and respect for our planet. Unique in both structure and content, I understand why the book was awardedthe 2024 Booker Prize.
Four men and two women are at a fictionalized version of the International Space Station on one of the last missions before the program is dismantled. They are from America, Britain, Italy, Japan, and Russia. Though long for their lives on Earth, none would miss this opportunity to be in space. Observing the gorgeous blue planet that is home is almost intoxicating.
The book is driven neither by plot nor by extensive character development. Each of the astronauts have introspective contemplations but the true focus is the awe they feel as they view Earth from the International Space Station. Harvey offers many philosophical observations about the fragility of existence and the vastness of space. Shaun, one of the astronauts, captures this perspective: “We’re windblown leaves. We think we’re the wind, but we’re just the leaf.”
Over the course of twenty-four hours, they slip through time zones as they circle Earth sixteen times: sixteen spectacular sunrises and sixteen spectacular sunsets. Harvey’s detailed descriptions of the astronauts observing the planetfrom space are stunning. Land masses seem to merge, and the distinctions between countries disappear—except on computerized maps that impose those divisions.
This book reads more like a personal essay, a poem or a prayer than a conventional novel. There are many compelling philosophical meditations but ultimately the story is a moving plea to respect and revere this Earth we humans share. 4/5