Orbital by Samantha Harvey Winner of the Booker Prize 2024 is a novel that takes readers beyond Earth’s surface, into the lives of six astronauts aboard a spacecraft. They are on a mission to collect meteorological data, conduct scientific research, and test the limits of the human body. However, in Orbital, their most profound task is observing the planet below like watching glaciers, deserts, towering mountains, and vast oceans as they circle Earth sixteen times in a single day.
Although they are far from home, the pull of Earth never fades in Orbital. News of a mother’s passing reaches the crew, stirring emotions of grief and thoughts of returning home. As they witness a massive typhoon forming over an island where their loved ones live, they are struck by both its breathtaking beauty and its devastating power. Orbital highlights how distance from Earth only deepens their connection to it, making them question their place in the universe.
Through poetic storytelling, Orbital explores the fragility of human life, the vastness of space, and the inseparable bond between humanity and the planet. The novel raises profound questions about what is life without Earth, and what is Earth without humanity? Samantha Harvey’s Orbital is a thought-provoking and deeply moving literary achievement. As Edmund de Waal, Chair of the 2024 Booker Prize judges, said, “Our unanimity about Orbital recognises its beauty and ambition. It reflects Harvey’s extraordinary intensity of attention to the precious and precarious world we share.”
A BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR THE GUARDIAN, SUNDAY TIMES, FINANCIAL TIMES, NEW STATESMAN, SPECTATOR, DAILY MAIL AND MAIL ON SUNDAY.
Book Details, Availability, and Where to Buy Orbital
Orbital: Winner of the Booker Prize 2024 by Samantha Harvey is a novel that follows six astronauts aboard the International Space Station as they reflect on life, Earth, and humanity over a 24-hour period. The book will be available in paperback from 26 November 2024, published by Vintage, with 144 pages. Readers can choose from different formats, Kindle for ₹295, paperback for ₹311, and the audiobook is free of cost. It can be purchased from Amazon India, Flipkart, and bookstores like Ignited Books. For reviews and more details, readers can visit Goodreads. Kindle is a great option as it allows readers to carry multiple books in one device and adjust font sizes for comfortable reading.
Themes in Orbital by Samantha Harvey
- Human Reflection and Perspective: In Orbital, six astronauts from different countries circle the Earth 16 times in 24 hours. This experience allows them to see the world in a new way, making them reflect on their own lives and humanity as a whole. The novel explores how seeing the planet from space can change one’s understanding of life, time, and our place in the universe. As one astronaut observes, “We exist now in a fleeting bloom of life and knowing.” The book emphasizes that from space, Earth looks both precious and fragile, leading to deep philosophical thoughts.
- The Fragility of Earth and Environmental Awareness: The novel highlights how human actions have shaped and altered the planet. As described in Orbital, “The planet is shaped by the sheer amazing force of human want, which has changed everything.” The astronauts see Earth as a beautiful but vulnerable place, affected by climate change, deforestation, and pollution. The book serves as a reminder of the urgent need to protect our only home before it is too late.
- Isolation, Connection, and the Human Condition: Being in space means being physically separated from Earth and loved ones, yet the astronauts still feel deeply connected to life below. They experience loneliness, nostalgia, and a longing for home. At the same time, they form a close bond with each other, even though, as the book says, “in some ways they’re not really a family at all – they’re both much more and much less than that.” The novel shows how human relationships remain important, no matter the distance.
- Philosophical and Existential Questions: Orbital is not about action or suspense but about thought and contemplation. The astronauts question their purpose, existence, and even the nature of time itself. One of the key reflections in the book states, “Our lives here are inexpressibly trivial and momentous at once… We matter greatly and not at all.” The novel makes readers think about what it means to be human and how small yet significant we are in the vastness of space.
- Unity and Cooperation Beyond Borders: The six astronauts come from different countries Russia, the United States, England, Japan, and Italy but they work together as one team. Despite the tensions and conflicts that exist on Earth, in space, they must trust and rely on each other. The novel subtly suggests that humanity could achieve great things if we set aside our differences and focused on common goals.
- The Illusion of Control: In Orbital, the astronauts experience a paradox they are at the pinnacle of human achievement, yet they realize how little control they have over the vast forces of the universe. The book explores how humans try to structure and control life, yet in space, they are at the mercy of nature and time itself. As the novel states, “We think we’re the wind, but we’re just the leaf.” This theme highlights the idea that no matter how advanced humanity becomes, we are still small in the grand scheme of existence.
- The Search for Meaning in a Silent Universe: Throughout Orbital, the astronauts grapple with existential questions about purpose, faith, and what it means to be alive. Some wonder if looking at Earth from space makes it easier or harder to believe in a higher power. The novel reflects on how space offers both wonder and isolation, making the characters question their own significance. The silence of the cosmos forces them to look inward, realizing that meaning is something they must create for themselves.
- The Beauty and Terror of Space: The novel captures the breathtaking wonder of space while also acknowledging its dangers. Floating above Earth, the astronauts witness stunning views, yet they are always aware of the risks involved in their journey. Orbital describes space as both “extraordinary and magnificent” but also “brutal, inhuman, overwhelming, lonely.” This contrast emphasizes how space travel is both a triumph and a reminder of human vulnerability.
By weaving together these themes, Orbital offers a deep and poetic meditation on life, the planet, our shared journey through the cosmos and humanity’s place in the universe.
Excerpts from Book Orbital
- “The planet is shaped by the sheer amazing force of human want, which has changed everything, the forests, the poles, the reservoirs, the glaciers, the rivers, the seas, the mountains, the coastlines, the skies, a planet contoured and landscaped by want.”
In Orbital, this line highlights how human desires and actions have reshaped the Earth. People’s need for resources, expansion, and progress has altered nature from forests being cleared to rivers being redirected and glaciers melting due to climate change. The mountains, coastlines, and even the atmosphere have been affected by human influence. Orbital reflects on this transformation from the unique perspective of astronauts, who see Earth as both beautiful and fragile, shaped by human choices over time.
- “There are people like him (so he says) who complicate their inner lives by feeling too much all at once, by living in knots, and who therefore need outer things to be simple. A house, a field, some sheep for example. And there are those who manage somehow, by some miracle of being, to simplify their inner lives so that outer things can be ambitious and limitless.”
In Orbital, this passage contrasts two types of people. Some individuals experience overwhelming emotions and thoughts, making their inner lives complex and tangled. To find balance, they seek simplicity in their surroundings like living in a quiet home, working in a peaceful field, or caring for animals. On the other hand, there are people who keep their inner world calm and uncomplicated. Because their minds are at peace, they can take on ambitious and limitless external challenges, pursuing big dreams or complex goals. Orbital explores these ideas through its characters, showing how people cope with the vastness of both space and their own emotions.
- “And now maybe humankind is in the late smash-it-all-up teenage stage of self-harm and nihilism, because we didn’t ask to be alive, we didn’t ask to inherit an earth to look after, and we didn’t ask to be so completely unjustly darkly alone.”
In Orbital, this line compares humanity to a rebellious teenager going through a destructive phase. It suggests that people are acting recklessly, damaging the planet and themselves, much like a teenager struggling with emotions. The passage reflects a deep existential frustration that humans never chose to exist, nor did they ask for the responsibility of caring for Earth. At the same time, there is a feeling of isolation, as if humanity is lost and alone in the vast universe. Orbital uses this perspective to explore human struggles, responsibility, and the loneliness that comes with being conscious beings in an endless cosmos.
- “When we’re on that planet we look up and think heaven is elsewhere, but here is what the astronauts and cosmonauts sometimes think: maybe all of us born to it have already died and are in an afterlife. If we must go to an improbable, hard-to-believe-in place when we die, that glassy, distant orb with its beautiful lonely light shows could well be it.”
In Orbital, this passage explores a deep and thought-provoking idea about life and existence. On Earth, people often imagine heaven as a place beyond the sky, somewhere far away. But astronauts, while looking at Earth from space, sometimes see it differently. They wonder if life on Earth itself is like an afterlife, something surreal, fragile, and filled with beauty. From their perspective, the planet appears distant, glowing, and almost otherworldly, making it seem like the kind of place people imagine heaven to be. Orbital uses this idea to challenge our understanding of life, death, and the way we perceive our place in the universe.
Critical Acclaim and Reviews for Orbital
“A slim, profound study of intimate human fears set against epic vistas” – Guardian
“Stunning… An uplifting book” – Sunday Times
“Our unanimity about Orbital recognises its beauty and ambition. It reflects Harvey’s extraordinary intensity of attention to the precious and precarious world we share.” – Edmund de Waal, Chair of the 2024 Booker Prize judges
“In this slender novel, Harvey seems to have encompassed all of humanity… It is an extraordinary achievement.” – Observer
“Gorgeously poetic… I was knocked out. It’s also surprisingly funny… One of the most original novels I’ve read this year.” – Sunday Times, Books of the Year
“Harvey beautifully evokes the wonder and fragility of our planet and its inhabitants. An uplifting book, in every sense.” – Guardian, Books of the Year
“In Samantha Harvey’s Orbital, six astronauts circle the world 16 times. Gliding through Harvey’s technicolour prose is an equally frictionless experience.” – Financial Times, Books of the Year
“Orbital is the rarest of things, a book that satisfies both my lifelong obsession with space travel and my hunger for sentences and paragraphs that demand to be read and reread… My goodness this novel is beautiful.” – New Statesman, Books of the Year
“Eerily beautiful.” – Spectator, Books of the Year
“One of our most consistently surprising novelists rips up the rulebook again… A boldly imaginative meditation on time and the nature of existence.” – Daily Mail, Books of the Year
“Orbital is entirely original, a serenely beautiful and intelligent creation.” – Mail on Sunday, Books of the Year
“This genius novel… Asks big questions about humanity and the fragility of our lives… A short yet exquisite read.”
Why Buy and Read Orbital?
Orbital is a book that offers a unique perspective on Earth, taking readers on a journey through space and showing the planet from above. It beautifully captures how small yet significant our world is, making us appreciate its beauty and fragility. The book explores deep and thought-provoking themes like time, human existence, and our connection to the universe, encouraging readers to see life in a new way. Samantha Harvey’s writing in Orbital is poetic and fluid, creating vivid images and emotions that linger long after finishing the book. At just 144 pages, it is a short yet powerful read, perfect for those who want a meaningful story without a long commitment. Unlike traditional space adventure novels, Orbital focuses on the astronauts’ thoughts and reflections rather than action and drama, offering a refreshing and introspective take on space travel. If you enjoy books that make you reflect on life and our place in the universe, Orbital is must-read.
Final Thoughts
Orbital is a beautifully written novel that offers a unique and poetic view of Earth through the eyes of six astronauts. It is less about plot and more about deep reflections on life, humanity, and our connection to the planet. The book’s lyrical prose and thought-provoking themes make it a compelling read for those who enjoy philosophical and meditative storytelling. While it may not appeal to readers looking for action or drama, Orbital stands out as a literary exploration of perspective, existence, and the fragile beauty of our world.
