Orbital

A short and yet quite beautiful meditation on the fragility of human life amidst this unique planet we call Earth. Orbital is far from a religious, spiritual or New Age text, but it glows with a quite unique luminosity. Some of this is a function of Harvey's beautifully sculpted prose. In a text like this, not a single word feels out of place. Orbital presents time and time again these beautifully narrated passages that contrast the quotidian with the cosmic. There is no narrative per se, nor any central character conflict, just acute observation. The majesty of our planet is contrasted with the damage we are doing to it. Man's insatiable desire to push boundaries is treated carefully. Ambition may be good, but be mindful of unintended consequences. To have compiled a work such as this requires deep research. Think of Orbital as taking the context and experience of Tim Peake and turning it into fictionalised prose. What might it be like to be in the privileged position of seeing the world from afar and simultaneously recognising not only your removal from it, but also both its and your own fragility. At 136 pages, I would happily read again. A deserved Booker winner. 10/10.

By Samantha Harvey