I have recently been seeing a lot of buzz for Orbital by Samantha Harvey and that it might get Longlisted for the Booker Prize. Since it’s literary science fiction, that had me intrigued.

This book is not the typical science fiction book full of action and adventure. Instead, it is a quiet, meditative book about six people orbiting the earth in a spaceship. What it lacks in plot, it makes up for in interesting observations. 

The prose in Orbital is really lovely and creates a very unique reading experience. I’ve never been on a spaceship, but I could clearly see what the astronauts were seeing. I could imagine watching the earth rotate from space. 

All in all, I recommend this book for people who like slow books that ponder life and the characters existence. It’s a short, quiet read that I’m not sure everyone will get.