Orbital by Samantha Harvey

This “slender novel of epic power” (back cover) is, in my estimation, one of the finest examples of literary fiction recently written. There are six astronauts in an orbiting space station for essentially one 24 hour period. The descriptions of earth as they look out the window along with the internal dialogs each of them has, fills the book with literary, philosophical, and psychological aspects of humanity on a large scale and at the same time in the deepest recesses of individual psyche. From my perspective as a writer, Harvey has demonstrated how to take a simple visual and turn it into an individual’s life dreams fulfilled or lost, use the simple as a launching pad for thinking about the larger course of humanity, or simply to enjoy the sound of the sentences if read aloud. The interactions between the astronauts are of interest and meaningful but depth lies in the internal… I highly recommend it (along with too many glowing but valid recommendations in the first few pages.) A short novel, it reads quickly until one wants to ponder a philosophical point, or turn a character’s experience inward, or simply reread parts for a level of literary satisfaction often missing in popular novels. Enough said, but just to say, it won the Booker Prize in 2024.