Orbital

Synopsis

Winner of the 2024 Booker Prize.

Six astronauts from the United States, Russia, Italy, Britain, and Japan circle the Earth aboard the International Space Station, completing sixteen orbits in a single day. As they conduct experiments, exercise against the effects of weightlessness, and drift through the routines of life in space, they watch their silent blue planet unfold beneath them—its oceans, deserts, storms, mountains, and fragile beauty.

Separated from the world yet unable to escape its pull, they reflect on the lives they've left behind, the people they love, and the astonishing privilege of seeing Earth from above. As a typhoon gathers below and news from home reaches the station, the vastness of space only deepens their sense of connection to humanity.

Lyrical, contemplative, and breathtakingly original, Orbital is a profound meditation on our planet, our place within the universe, and the fragile miracle of being alive.

About the Author

Samantha Harvey is an English novelist whose work is celebrated for its psychological depth, luminous prose, and philosophical insight. She is the author of The Wilderness, All Is Song, Dear Thief, and The Western Wind. Orbital won the 2024 Booker Prize and established Harvey as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary literary fiction.

Publisher
Grove Press

Publication Date
October 29, 2024

Format
Paperback

Pages
224

Subjects
Literary Fiction · Contemporary Fiction · Space Exploration · Climate Fiction · Philosophical Fiction · Nature Writing

ISBN
9780802163622