Orbital

July 1, 2023

In this latest from the Betty Trask--winning, multi-award-nominated Harvey, the lives of six men and women converge in an unusual place: a space station circling Earth in one of its last missions before the program is dismantled. They come from Britain, Japan, Russia, and Italy, with two from the United States, and the narrative reveals both their team-building onboard and their lives back home. Prepub Alert.

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Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2023
Six astronauts on a space station orbit the planet over the course of a single Earth day. Two hundred and fifty miles above the Earth, a space station goes round and round. Over the course of 24 hours, the astronauts inside experience sunrise and sunset 16 times. Though they're supposed to keep their schedules in tune with a normal "daily" routine, they exist in a dream-like liminal space, weightless, out of time, captivated and astonished by the "ringing singing lightness" of the globe always in view. "What would it be to lose this?" is the question that spurs Harvey's nimble swoops and dives into the minds of the six astronauts (as well as a few of the earthbound characters, past and present). There are gentle eddies of plot: The Japanese astronaut, Chie, has just received word that her elderly mother has died; six other astronauts are currently on their way to a moon landing; a "super-typhoon" barrels toward the Philippines; one of the two cosmonauts, Anton, has discovered a lump on his neck. But overall this book is a meditation, zealously lyrical, about the profundity and precarity of our imperiled planet. It's surely difficult to write a book in which the main character is a giant rock in space--and the book can feel ponderous at times, especially in the middle--but Harvey's deliberate slowed-down time and repetitions are entirely the point. Like the astronauts, we are forced to meditate on the notion that "not only are we on the sidelines of the universe but that it's...a universe of sidelines, that there is no centre." Is this a crisis or an opportunity? Harvey treats this question as both a narrative and an existential dilemma. Elegiac and elliptical, this slim novel is a sobering read.

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Starred review from November 1, 2023

Four astronauts and two cosmonauts are on a nine-month mission aboard a space station orbiting Earth. Besides daily meetings with ground crew, regular exercise, cabin cleaning, and sleep, they are tasked with performing experiments on plant and animal life, monitoring their own biomedical conditions, and, crucially, reporting on atmospheric changes observed from space. Unsurprisingly for any group of people confined to small quarters for a lengthy period, they have their jealousies and squabbles as well as true camaraderie. Individually, they experience boredom, mood swings, and personal crises while aloft--one grieves the loss of her mother, while another senses the end of his marriage. Their conversations range from the trivial (favorite childhood candy) to the profound (human evolution and the meaning of life). All the while, the crew is tracking a massive typhoon as it gains strength and heads towards the Philippines. VERDICT Coming from five different countries, the space travelers represent a microcosm of humanity. This is a beautifully written, deeply thoughtful meditation on planet Earth and our place in it.--Barbara Love

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Starred review from October 15, 2023
The International Space Station is a study in contrasts, with highly technical equipment sharing space with the soft trappings of humanity. Pouches of easily spoonable food and gym equipment meant to stave off muscle atrophy are required for people spinning above the Earth's atmosphere, but comfort only extends so far. Participating in space walks and conducting experiments, these fiercely qualified humans understand their environment is limited, but the experience remains nothing short of magnificent. Over a single 24-hour period, Harvey (The Western Wind, 2018) outlines the inner thoughts, workaday duties, and grandiose dreams of six astronauts aboard the International Space Station, offering a fascinating glimpse inside a home so few will ever see. Her lyrical prose skillfully contrasts the technicalities of space travel with the ever-present inspiration of the gleaming planet below. And the book encompasses so much more than a day--flashbacks, plans for the future, and present-day anxieties and triumphs are here too. In the stylistic vein of Sara Baume's Spill Simmer Falter Wither (2016) and Paulette Jiles' News of the World (2016), this slim novel is so much more than the sum of its parts. Luminous and profound, Orbital is hard to put down and even harder to forget.

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