I can see why this book won the Booker Prize. I can also see why it doesn't work for some people. 

Personally I found myself truly moved by the writing in some chapters, for a story based on an experience most people will never have it is very relatable. (Especially the parts where the cosmonauts were grappling with the fact that another crew was going to the moon. I really felt their thrill and disappointment).

I will say that at times the book feels removed from reality not because the crew is in space but because the author seems to be talking down to the reader. There was something unreachable in the book that felt slightly elitist and at times took me out of the book.