Orbital: Book Review

Today, we will be reviewing Orbital by Samantha Harvey, a science and philosophical fiction novel. Keep reading to find out what we thought of this novel and if you should read it too!

Orbital Summary

The novel takes place during a 24 hour span and focuses on six astronauts and cosmonauts that are from all over the world. They are aboard the International Space Station, orbiting Earth. The astronauts are doing tasks as well as sharing their thoughts and feelings and how they ended becoming astronauts as they orbit earth over and over.

Commentary

Orbital was released in 2023 and went on to win the 2024 Booker Prize and the Hawthornden Prize as well as being shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction and the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for imaginative fiction.

The idea for this novel came to Harvey years ago and has been working on it since the 2010s. She watched a continuous stream of Earth from the international Space Station while writing this novel. In an interview with the BBC, she told the interviewer “I thought, ‘Well, I have never been to space. I could never go to space … Who am I to do this?'”

This novel feels like a love letter to space and astronauts that have ventured out to space. The writing is beautiful and it will send shivers down your spine. Harvey might never have gone to space but her writing will make you wonder if that is actually true.

Conclusion

The premise of the novel is simple and there isn’t a plot and yet, this novel is hard to put down. Even if you aren’t into space, this novel will change your mind.

With the help of technology, we can also see from space with a few clicks on our phones or a computer. But we won’t know the magical feeling of being out in space looking down on Earth but this novel is the next best thing.

Only after reading this novel did I understand the hype around it. This is an author in their element who understands the importance of every sentence and word. If you haven’t read this novel, then you might be missing out on one of the best books of 2023. Happy reading!

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