Orbital by Samantha Harvey was last night, Tuesday, 12 November, named the winner of the Booker Prize 2024.
Orbital, which is Harvey’s fifth novel and sixth book, takes place over a single day in the life of six astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. During those 24 hours they observe 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets over their silent blue planet, spinning past continents and cycling past seasons, taking in glaciers and deserts, the peaks of mountains and the swells of oceans. This compact yet beautifully expansive novel invites us to observe Earth’s splendour, whilst reflecting on the individual and collective value of every human life.
We knew it was a great book as we’ve had it centre stage in our Map of the Month window since the beginning of the month.
