British author Samantha Harvey has taken the literary world by storm with her latest work, Orbital, which recently won the prestigious 2024 Booker Prize. What makes this award particularly fascinating is not just the book's intriguing narrative about life aboard the International Space Station (ISS) but also the unique perspective Harvey presents. The novel, composed of merely 136 pages, covers what seems like the blink of an eye—just over 24 hours—offering readers sixteen sunrises and sunsets viewed from the cosmos.
Harvey wrote Orbital during the COVID-19 lockdown, originally imagining her characters as astronauts confined within their “tin cans.” She likened their experience to her own isolation, making the novel both personally and universally relatable. It appears her creative process involved immersing herself in live feeds from the ISS, allowing her to float along with the astronauts as they orbited Earth. She described this exploration as traveling with them around our planet, absorbing the views and sensations they witnessed.
The Booker Prize judges commended Harvey's lyrical writing style, remarking on her "intensity of attention to the precious and precarious world" we inhabit. This praise is particularly significant, especially considering Orbital not only emphasizes the fragility of our planet but also intrinsically links the human experience with the vastness of space. Edmund de Waal, chair of the judges, noted, "Everyone and no one is the subject," highlighting the shared, yet isolated, experiences of individuals on the ISS contrasted against Earth's overwhelming beauty.
What stands out most about Orbital is its thematic depth. Rather than exploring lengthy plots or suspenseful scenarios, the narrative is more contemplative. It’s not heavily sci-fi as one might expect, but rather what Harvey herself classified as “space pastoral.” The form of the book—short, poetic chapters corresponding to the ISS's orbits—mirrors the broader themes of time, loss, and the environmental crisis.
Harvey’s style offers readers significant moments of reflection on personal and collective human experiences. Each orbit becomes a chapter of life, both vast and trivial, prompting readers to ponder their place and the ecological impacts of humanity. Her writing invites comparisons with the famed Velázquez painting, Las Meninas, introducing the idea of perspective—who is the subject, and who observes.
Throughout the brief yet captivating story, Harvey maintains focus on the unique vantage point provided by space. The physical and emotional challenges astronauts face are mirrored by their views of Earth, often elevational yet intimate. The constant rotation around our planet serves as both motivation and reflection—not merely of the majestic landscapes but the nuances of daily human life which seem less significant when viewed from above.
Harvey’s intent, as she expressed, was never to educate scientifically but to engage readers through aesthetic beauty and emotional resonance. She remarked on the responsibility of storytelling to capture human feelings, illustrating how the crew members grapple with their realities as they witness ecological disasters, like the encroaching super typhoon fueled by climate change.
The novel's backdrop of global warming adds another layer of meaning—Harvey clearly resonates with contemporary issues surrounding climate change and environmental conservation. Rather than presenting these themes prescriptively, she successfully invokes feelings of empathy and awareness, urging reflection on how actions on Earth affect not just individuals, but humanity as a whole.
Joining Harvey's work on the Booker shortlist were several exceptional authors, with five of the six finalists being women, highlighting significant strides toward gender equity within the literary industry. Harvey herself expressed satisfaction with this progress, celebrating the change, which she believes ripens from the incremental development over the past several decades.
Following her Booker win, Harvey shares her thoughts on the transformative nature of accolades, emphasizing the value of this recognition as validation of her creative endeavors. Now, as she transitions toward her next literary project, the weight of her success also brings the anticipation of external pressure to deliver.
Much of the book delves deep, drawing parallels between the universal experiences of isolation, longing, and the search for connection—universal themes made all the more poignant when set within the extraordinary environment of space. Harvey concluded her reflection by underscoring the importance of empathy and connection as she continues her literary pursuits.
Indeed, by winning the Booker Prize, Orbital does not simply stand as another award-winning title. It is positioned within the broader discourse on humanity's role on Earth and invites readers to contemplate who we are, where we’re headed, and our relationship with both our planet and the universe.
With Orbital, Harvey hasn't just penned a story of astronauts gazing at Earth from the ISS; she's offered up a heartfelt meditation on what it means to be human amid the vastness of the cosmos. Readers and critics alike anticipate her next steps, hopeful for more insights and reflections to come.
