A fascination with outer space has propelled British author Samantha Harvey to new heights, as her novel Orbital recently clinched the prestigious Booker Prize for 2024. The accolade signifies her remarkable storytelling ability, entwining themes of human experience and environmental urgency, all within the confines of the International Space Station (ISS).
After winning the Booker, Harvey humorously shared, "It seems a slightly eccentric choice because I didn't know anything about space but I've always been interested in it." The 49-year-old writer confessed to not having any specialized knowledge but had instead derived inspiration from watching live feeds of the ISS, where one can virtually travel with astronauts as they orbit the Earth. "You can sort of travel with the astronauts around the Earth," she noted.
While the book, at just 136 pages, is one of the shortest to receive the honor, it offers compelling content by narratively compressing the most fleeting of time spans — just over 24 hours. Orbital explores the lives of astronauts aboard the ISS as they witness the spectacle of 16 sunrises and the beauty of the Earth hurtling beneath them, all against the backdrop of pressing themes like grief, desire, and the climate crisis.
Harvey's prior work includes her debut novel The Wilderness, published back in 2009, which was also longlisted for the Booker. Yet, her latest win has left her brimming with euphoria. She cheerfully remarked, "I think this novel is really more about the Earth than it is about space itself." It is this narrative choice, Harvey reveals, which allowed her to reflect on the malleable concept of time — something she has continually been fascinated by throughout her career.
Edmund de Waal, the chair of the judging panel, praised Orbital as "a book about a wounded world," highlighting its beauty and ambition. Such accolades come at a pivotal moment, coinciding with the United Nations Climate Change Conference taking place simultaneously. Here, discussions of humanity's future on Earth are becoming increasingly urgent, especially as the re-election of climate skeptic Donald Trump looms over the global stage.
Harvey spoke candidly about her awareness of climate change persisting throughout her creative process, underlining the parallels between the degradation of our planet and space exploration. "We are exploiting and trashing space the same way we have exploited and trashed this planet," she asserted. Despite this, she stressed her artistic responsibilities lay primarily within the aesthetic aspects of her writing. She expressed, "If my book could positively impact change, even if it's just something small, I would be overjoyed. But I believe that's outside my responsibility as the author."
The narrative of Orbital is particularly poignant, reflecting on how human lives are tied to our fragile planet. Harvey mentions the vast, fleeting imagery of the Earth from the astronauts’ perspective and urges readers to step back and appreciate our home. The book hints at the existential irony faced by astronauts — who need the Earth for their physical well-being yet often overlook its importance from high above.
Harvey's reflections on the climate crisis echo the sentiments of many global observers today. With the weather anomalies such as unprecedented storms wrecking havoc on the planet's inhabitants, Clara clutching at the brilliant yet destructive nature of humanity’s imprint on Earth becomes visceral within the text.
Samantha's narrative choice, where the characters are compelled to introspect and engage with the larger ecological discourse, gives way to questions about humanity's relation to nature and one another. “Why are we trying to go where the universe doesn’t want us when there’s perfectly good Earth just there?” Shaun wonders at one point, begging readers to reflect on the futility of abandoning what's sustainable.
The prose inside Orbital—evocative and immersive—impressively captures the intimate camaraderie between the six astronauts popululating the ISS: Roman, Anton, Chie, Pietro, Shaun, and Nell. From their alliances to their perceptions of Earth, each character adds richness to the overall theme of interconnectedness and loneliness against the infinite backdrop of space.
Harvey’s ability to illuminate the fragility of human life against the cosmic canvas is reminiscent of the literary depth of Virginia Woolf, leading critics, like Gaby Wood, to endorse her as this generation’s equivalent of the celebrated author. The threads uniting distinctive characters as they grapple with their contributions to society and life reflect the very essence of existence.
Through poetic depictions, the astronauts share contemplative observations about their home planet, critiquing the disparity between our realities as seen from afar. Their view reveals the absurdity of human structures next to untouched nature, leading to questions about identity and purpose.
Orbital also touches on the modern phenomena surrounding climate change, using the astronauts' perspectives to constructively question the stability of their own lives aboard the ISS against the mounting environmental catastrophes occurring on Earth. The narrative alludes to this growing disconnect, positing unanswered dilemmas about humanity's relentless consumption patterns.
Harvey’s approach recalls themes of global interconnectedness birthed during the COVID-19 pandemic, turning the existential isolation caused by lockdowns and confinement experiences juxtaposed with the broadness of infinite space. She pens, “It allowed me to write about time, the upending of time, the strange experience of time, that's something I think I've been interested in all of my novels.”
The astronauts aboard the ISS are starkly aware of the planet's fragility. They witness disasters like the catastrophic supertyphoon as it unfurls beneath them, framing Orbital within the contentions of power and devastation — musings all too relevant today.
Harvey’s literary contribution encapsulates human reckoning with time and space as she deftly intertwines existential reflections with pressing environmental issues. With deft use of space as both the setting and symbol, she has penned what can be considered not just another novel but also as part of the broader cultural conversation on the climate crisis.
With her well-earned acclaim, Samantha Harvey has indelibly cast her mark and emerged as not just a storyteller of our generation but as a messenger calling us to action. Her exploration of what it means to be human at this juncture, suspended between maintaining our earthly bonds and reaching for the stars, resonates deeply within the corridors of the contemporary literary world.
Indeed, the narrative grappled with whether it is possible for literature to enact political change, leading to the conclusion from Harvey herself, “I think it’s self-evidently true at some level we don’t value the Earth because we are destroying it.”
For anyone still doubting the relationship between art and direct impact on pressing issues like climate change, Orbital presents itself as both fable and real-life reflection, inviting readers to engage through its delicate narrative. The storytelling stands as Harvey’s answer to the question of how to appreciate the hidden beauty of our world before it’s too late — urging us all to refocus on our shared humanity and the wonders of life on planet Earth.
