A review by sammiseah
Orbital by Samantha Harvey

inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

I took Sam’s advice and read this book in a single evening. That doesn’t mean that I sped through it (or that one should speed through it), on the contrary, I had to slow myself down to really savour the beautiful writing. 

I like the premise of the book - six astronaunts/cosmonauts from different parts of the world, united by their experience in the space station, yet set apart from the rest of humanity by that very same experience. And yet, in some sense, they are more appreciative of humanity simply thanks to this experience. I also like the choice to separate the chapters based on the 16 orbits - a reminder of how the astronauts are on the same 24-hour timescale, but also not. 

As a scientist, the bits that really interested me were the similarities and differences in the day-to-day lives of the six - the descriptions of living without gravity, the efforts to stave off muscle loss, the disposal of waste in space, space walks etc. Not the point of the book, I know, but it’s just interesting to the effects of these changes in routines and how they bring people trapped in a small space together.

While this book is quite different from what I usually read, I saw parallels with The Quickening by Elizabeth Rush! Rush was a journalist on an expedition to Antarctica made possible only by the melting of the glaciers due to the climate crisis. She outlined her experience on board the icebreaker, sharing the vessel with scientists and crew with little personal space (not so different from the space station…?) And she spends her time contemplating about humanity, the climate crisis, and what it means to have children in this time. There, I also enjoyed the contemplations less and the descriptions of life on an icebreaker more 😅 it might be interesting if you enjoyed Orbital and are looking for something  similar.