Can a novel set in space truly capture the realities of life on Earth?

Ideas & Philosophy · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Samantha Harvey’s 2024 Booker Prize-winning novel, Orbital, follows six astronauts over 24 hours as they circle the planet. By focusing on the beauty of space rather than traditional science fiction tropes, Harvey invites readers to reconsider humanity’s place in the universe, though the work’s detachment from terrestrial conflict remains highly debated.

Published in 2023, Orbital depicts a single day aboard the International Space Station, structured around 16 orbits of the Earth. Samantha Harvey, who began the project in the 2010s, initially abandoned the manuscript after writing 5,000 words, feeling unqualified to write about space travel. She eventually resumed the work during the COVID-19 pandemic, completing it in 2020. The narrative eschews speculative science fiction in favor of a space pastoral, grounding its philosophical inquiries into existence, God, and climate change in the physical reality of the astronauts' official duties.

The novel’s reception has been polarized. Supporters, including Booker Prize judge Edmund de Waal, praise Harvey’s ability to transform the Earth into an object of profound contemplation. Critics like James Wood have noted the book’s lack of a traditional plot, while others, such as Alexandra Harris, highlight the strength of its structural rhythms. However, the book has faced sharp criticism for its perceived political blind spots. Ukrainian journalist Tetiana Mykytenko and Polish journalist Wojciech Szot have argued that the novel ignores contemporary crises, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and inadvertently echoes Kremlin-aligned perspectives regarding disputed territories.

Despite these critiques, the book’s cultural impact is significant. At 136 pages, it is the second-shortest novel to win the Booker Prize and the first set in space to do so. Harvey’s writing draws on the research of Carl Sagan, specifically incorporating his Cosmic Calendar concept. While some reviewers feel the novel scrubs away the misery of life at pavement level, others argue that this very distance provides a necessary, clarifying perspective on human mutual dependence, offering a vision of the world that is both mysterious and resonant.

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