The Orbital by Samantha Harvey Review

The premise of the book

(No danger here, spoiler-free zone.)

If I could summarise it into one sentence I would say: Orbital** is a meditation on the human race from the point of view of an astronaut who is looking down at Earth. Times six. And each time we get a different point of view with its accompanying past including dreams, worries, tragedies and hopes. A bouquet of thoughts carefully assembled for the reader as a food for its philosophical mind.

Synopsis: The novel is set on the International Space Station and it follows six astronauts from different nations including Italy, Japan, Russia, UK and US. It has a time span of 24 hours in which the station takes approximately 16 orbits, each being 9 hours. Now, I say approximately because in reality this number differs ever so slightly, but it’s not a matter of concern in the pov of the novel. The readers get to have a sneak peak into the astronauts daily routines, like detailing their specific tasks that they have to perform each day. Their reflections about Earth is what makes this novel quite an outstanding experience to read. It marvels about the landscape in astounding detail showcasing our little planet’s gorgeous treasure from the ever over-protective atmosphere to the ancient-muscular-looking mountain ranges or the flashy city lights at ‘night’.

It is a short novel, with 224 pages and it was published by Jonathan Cape (UK) and Grove Atlantic (US). Easily devourable in one-sitting but you might not want to rush this particular story. I think I unfortunately did, not because I wanted to but because I can’t really slow down my pace on purpose. Since then, I have been trying a new way of reading where after a chapter or two, I pick up a notebook and write down what I have read and any additional thoughts or quotations etc. This way I don’t necessarily slow my pace but at least I am actively digesting it which will help me when I write up my (not so eloquent) reviews. 

It doesn’t read like a ‘normal’ plot and character-driven novel so keep this in mind before jumping in. As I mentioned above also, this book reads like a meditation, a beautiful bouquet of thoughts which will keep you wondering about our place on Earth as well as up in space. I would highly recommend it if you are hungry for beautiful and contemplative prose.

Artist’s Corner

The Author:

Samantha Harvey is an English novelist and a Reader of Creative Writing at the University of Bath Spa located in England. Her other works include:

The Shapeless Unease: A Year of Not Sleeping* – a personal meditation on that one year when Harvey had insomnia.

The Western Wind* – a historical murder mystery of the death of a wealthy man narrated by a mysterious shepherd.

Dear Thief* – a letter to a friend, being written day after day, night after night. Slowly revealing the past and its scars, including betrayal and hurt. 

All is Song* – Friendship and brotherhood. Leonard after losing his father moves into his distant brother’s William’s house. William is an activist and a lecturer, who holds meetings with his ex-students. One day one of his students goes too far… 

The Wilderness* – Jake has lost his wife and his son is currently in prison. Now he has to face losing himself as he is diagnosed with Alzheimer. 

As I was looking into these books they all seem to have powerful subjects. I am definitely resonating towards The Shapeless Unease as I also sometimes have periods when I go through flare-ups of insomnia. Based on her style in Orbital I can only just imagine how powerful her prose could be in The Wilderness.

The Illustrator:

The cover art was done by Aino-Maija Metsola, a Finnish designer and illustrator. She is mostly using water colour and her creations are bold and colourful inspired by nature, especially the Finnish landscape. She is a free-lancer and her other book cover illustrations include:

The Virginia Wolf series by Penguin Classics:

Mrs Dalloway*

A Room of One’s Own and Three Guineas* 

Flush*

To The Lighthouse*

The Waves*

Orlando*

The Years*

Also by Vintage, Penguin:

The Idiot by Elif Batuman*

Sea Monsters by Chloe Aridjis*

And a children’s book illustration:

First Words: Art Charts**

Absolutely beautiful designs, I’m definitely going to pick up The Idiot by Elif Batuman and books from the Wolf series. I highly recommend checking out her website.

Earth or Space, or Both?

(SPOILER ALERT!!)

In 2013 the Planetary Collective, came out with a movie called Overview. The movie is based on the concept introduced by the author Frank White. A so-called cognitive shift in astronauts upon viewing the Earth from space for the first time (and many times after that). The term he used is ‘The Overview Effect’**. I highly recommend watching the movie, either before or after reading the Orbital. I watched it after as a part of my review-research, but if I could do it again, I would probably watch it first and then read the book. Either way it’s a beautiful journey if you want to broaden and deepen the mental exercise about our place on this Earth and the cosmos. 

Personally, haven’t heard about the Overview Effect before reading Samantha Harvey’s book, but I did know about the fact that the astronauts (not all of them), do usually have a huge change in their perception after being in space. 

It’s not hard to imagine why. First of all, simply because it must be mind-blowing. Then, to see the devastating storms, in many cases due to climate change, or the simple way of seeing our Earth without being divided by the never-ending, squiggly country border lines. Samantha Harvey did a wonderful job painting a canvas to see for the reader’s mind’s eye. Orbital was not just a mediation but a silent movie that is louder than any words or metaphors. 

At first, I was baffled. Mainly, because I always thought about space as this great, huge abyss full with treasures and myths and secrets waiting to be discovered. I didn’t understand why are we looking back? Sure, the Earth is beautiful and our only home, but that’s not why I would go to space. That’s not where my gaze would be directed at. And then, the more I read the book, and the more I tried to overcome my immature tantrum, I have realised that the Overview Effect did happen to me as well. At least in a metaphorical sense. What’s more it still keeps happening as I was deep diving into the work of the Planetary Collective. 

Maybe I should look back first, before I go out. Maybe I should see and understand myself first, before I even think about seeing the Earth from space. Maybe a little humbleness would do me some good. 

I know that I should write about the book, and how the literary experience was, but it wouldn’t be as honest as my true reading journal. The one that I wrote without anyone watching. 

Anyway, this book gave so much more than I was expecting. I’m really glad that it won the Booker Prize this year. I can’t tell compared to the other books how it would rank for me as I haven’t read those, but I’m sure that there was a reason why it found its way to me. 

What’s Next…

I just finished reading The Fisherman* by John Langan and oh boy, that was a ride. I plan to write a review about it, although I’m not sure how detailed it’s going to be yet. I’m currently reading the Clash of Kings* by Goerge R. R. Martin as I continue my journey in Westeros. It’s a chunky boy so probably it will take some time for me to finish it, but I’m excited to read epic high fantasy agan, so here I am. As for the standalone novels in between series, I have no idea what I’m going to read. Maybe I will come up with some ideas, in my next ‘Weekly Thoughts’ so keep your eyes peeled for that!

P.S.: If you are an author and would like me to read your book, feel free to reach out to me on my socials or drop me an email at no************@***il.com with Books as the subject, in case it ends up in my spam folder. I’m always on the hunt for amazing stories. If you want to stay up to date with the latest thoughts and reviews, sign up for NOLITETHOUGHTS‘ newsletter at the bottom of this post.