Orbital: The Tiny Novel with a Cosmic Impact
Imagine seeing 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets in a single day, floating high above Earth, where time feels fluid and the planet below looks both breathtaking and fragile. This is the mesmerising world of Orbital, Samantha Harvey’s latest novel.
At only 136 pages, this compact yet profound novel takes readers on a 24-hour journey aboard the International Space Station, where six astronauts from different countries orbit Earth in 90-minute cycles. With each loop around the planet, the astronauts reflect on their lives, the fate of humanity, and the awe-inspiring yet precarious beauty of the world below. Orbital is rich and profound with reflections on humanity and our relationship with the Earth.
One of my favourite lines from this book is “The Earth is the answer to every question. The Earth is the face of an exulted lover; they watch it sleep and wake and become lost in its habits.” This quote reflects the novel’s theme of perspective— how looking from space alters our understanding of it. It suggests that despite our advancements and explorations, Earth remains our most profound mystery, our home, and our ultimate source of meaning. Which is all very profound— until you remember that Earth is also where you start a conversation with ‘ I’ll just have one,’ and next thing you know, it’s 3 a.m. and you’re in the kebab shop. But aye, Earth is beautiful and everything… even if it’s just spent the last hour soaking me through and nearly blowing me into the Clyde!
Unlike most space novels, Orbital doesn’t involve disasters, aliens, or daring missions. Each astronaut experiences the day differently: some focus on their research, distracted by everyday duties of space travel; some lose themselves in thoughts, contemplating the strangeness of floating above their home planet; and some are overwhelmed by Earth’s beauty, struck by its silence and fragility. There is no conflict or grand revelation— like Mr. Darcy confessing his love to Elizabeth Bennet. Only them drinking coffee from their pouches, monitoring experiments, all while the Earth is turning beneath them. Kinda romantic (not Pride and Prejudice romantic, but romantic nonetheless).
One of the striking things about Orbital is its floating, lyrical quality. Harvey’s writing mirrors the zero-gravity environment, making the reader feel as though they, too, are adrift in space. Sentences flow without urgency, observations unfold gently, mirroring the weightlessness of space and time. The novel drifts through thoughts, memories, and sensory details much like the astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
If you love books that make you think deeply about existence, time, and our place in the universe, Orbital is for you! It’s a book that lingers in your mind long after you’ve finished it. Despite its short length, Orbital made a massive impact. It is now the second-shortest novel ever to win the Booker Prize! Harvey has crafted something special— a novel that proves you don’t need thousands of pages or complex world-building to create something truly cosmic.