Orbital

A short but powerful read that packs an extraordinary amount of emotional heft into its brief page count. By writing from the perspective of a group of people detached from the rest of the world, the book helps us make sense of our lives on the surface below.

Orbital follows a day in the life of sixteen astronauts traveling above the earth on the International Space Station. In lyrical, almost hypnotic prose, Harvey follows the twelve astronauts and four cosmonauts as they conduct experiments, track a monster typhoon bearing down on the Philippines, and interact with one another in achingly human ways.

For Harvey, though, plot is mostly irrelevant. What's of far more interest is how seamlessly she immerses the reader in the experience of floating weightlessly through space, and how heartbreaking it is to be so far away from loved ones back on earth.

In writing that's… show more.