20024 Booker Longlist: Orbital by Samantha Harvey

Up next for our panel is Samantha Harvey’s Orbital. Orbital is Harvey’s fifth novel. It has received some glowing reviews from various literary critics.

Cover blurb: A slender novel of epic power, Orbital deftly snapshots one day in the lives of six women and men traveling through space. Selected for one of the last space station missions of its kind before the program is dismantled, these astronauts and cosmonauts—from America, Russia, Italy, Britain, and Japan—have left their lives behind to travel at a speed of over seventeen thousand miles an hour as the earth reels below. We glimpse moments of their earthly lives through brief communications with family, their photos and talismans; we watch them whip up dehydrated meals, float in gravity-free sleep, and exercise in regimented routines to prevent atrophying muscles; we witness them form bonds that will stand between them and utter solitude. Most of all, we are with them as they behold and record their silent blue planet. Their experiences of sixteen sunrises and sunsets and the bright, blinking constellations of the galaxy are at once breathtakingly awesome and surprisingly intimate. 

Profound and contemplative, Orbital is a moving elegy to our environment and planet.

You can purchase a copy of the book here.

Keep reading to find out how our panellists rated this book.

Jen’s Thoughts: There is definitely a stylistic and theme similarity with this year’s books that favors musings and reflections over plot, repetitive and loop-like structures, and slow moving novels. I loved the possibilities of this novel, but like many of the other booker nominees this year, after about 30-40% in, I felt my eyes glazing over and my attention wandering. I’m not against reflective books but I prefer more character and plot development to keep me engaged. Orbital is very well written and a creative premise but ultimately I felt bored by the lack of plot development to ground it. Readers who are looking for a reflective book about larger ideas will probably appreciate this book. It’s a meticulously researched novel and the descriptions are very detailed and provide the reader with a true sense of what it would be like to contemplate the earth, God, life, and meaning from the perspective of space.

Writing quality: 5/5
Originality: 4/5
Character development: 2/4
Plot development: 1/4
Overall enjoyment: 1/2
Did it deserve a spot on the longlist? I think it will probably make the list although I’m not sure it deserves a spot. Then again, my personal engagement doesn’t usually correlated with books that make the shortlist.
Total: 13/20

Tracy’s Thoughts: I’m not sure what I missed with this one. This bored me so much. The writing was nice, but couldn’t save the book for me.

Writing quality: 4/5
Originality: 3/5
Character development: 2/4
Plot development: 1/4
Overall enjoyment: 0/2
Did it deserve a spot on the longlist? No. There were so many other books that were better.
Total: 10/20

Nicole’s Thoughts:

I think we can all agree that this years list is subtle – verging on boring (and in some cases, outright boring.) This was an interesting idea, and it was fine … Not exceptional in any way.

Writing quality: 3/5
Originality: 3/5
Character development: 2/4
Plot development: 1/4
Overall enjoyment: 1/2
Did it deserve a spot on the longlist? It’s a no for me, dawg.
Total: 12/20

Lisa’s Thoughts: I thought the premise could be interesting — but not much happens in this book, at least in the third that I read. From what others say I’m not sure that would have changed if I kept reading. But was on vacation when I started this book and I just didn’t have the patience for the slow pace and lack of action.

Writing quality: 4/5
Originality: 3/5
Character development: 2/4
Plot development: 1/4
Overall enjoyment: 0/2
Did it deserve a spot on the longlist? No.
Total: 10/20

Have you read this one? Let us know what you thought. Should it make the shortlist?

Our panel’s final rankings

1. James: 19.2
2. Held 15.8
3. Wild Houses 14.75
4. Headshot: 12.1
5. Orbital 11.25