As routinely as the changing of the seasons, the annual Booker Prize — the leading literary award in the English-speaking world — is conferred to what is believed to be, in the judges’ views, the best-sustained work of fiction written in English and published in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
This year, The Michigan Daily Book Review took it upon themselves to read and review the six novels shortlisted for this year’s Booker Prize. Although the overarching goal of delicately crafted literature has never and will never be minimized to a mere award, contests such as the Booker Prize time and again define the up-and-coming authors of our time and how they have rightfully claimed their place in the literary world. Our writers have devised detail-oriented reviews analyzing the literary artistry that lies behind each of these novels, deciding, in their own right, whether or not they merit their nomination. In a culminating article, our writers will come together to discuss which of the shortlisted stories they believe will be crowned winner in the end.
We hope you enjoy this edition of the series and that we’ll see you again for the rest.
— Graciela Batlle Cestero, Senior Arts Editor, and Camille Nagy, Books Beat Editor
Samantha Harvey’s “Orbital,” shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize, follows six astronauts acting as political and social pawns in the greater scheme of space travel. Together, the multinational crew travels in orbit around Earth, severing any true connection to humanity and performing their duties from afar. Set in a single 24-hour period on the space station — 16 orbits around Earth — readers get an introspective glance into the astronauts’ lives as they live a day of utmost purpose. Stripped of all the things that give us our most mundane joys, these astronauts struggle with what their role in the world truly is when they’re not on it. They watch Earth’s tragedies from the deafening silence of the space station. They suffer through loss and experience grief that they don’t know how to process. They resent one another for not being the people from Earth they wish to see the most. They are utterly human, yet their circumstances do not allow them to be.
Harvey is the esteemed author of the books “The Wilderness,” “All Is Song,” “Dear Thief” and “The Western Wind.” Having already been shortlisted for a deluge of literary accolades and winning the 2019 Staunch Book Prize for “The Western Wind” as well as the AMI Literature Award and Betty Trask Prize for “The Wilderness,” it comes as no surprise to see Harvey’s name on this year’s shortlist. Her fifth novel, “Orbital,” once again illustrates the author’s cunning ability to weave narrative and introspection together in a manner many liken to Virginia Woolf. In an interview with the Booker Prize Foundation, Harvey shares her admiration for Woolf’s “subtle weaving of multiple consciousnesses,” a strength readers can marvel at in her writing as well, with “Orbital” being a prime example. The influence of Woolf’s quiet, introspective writing style is apparent in her sparkling prose and the confluence of interconnected character perspectives that gives way to a greater understanding of the traumas of their experiences.
While “Orbital” is a novel almost entirely set in space, its focus on Earth and the humanity found on the planet is clear and unwavering. Coined by author and former editor Max Porter, “Orbital” is a “love letter to Earth,” one stamped and postmarked by the only people no longer on the planet. Each chapter references a new part of Earth as observed from space. Harvey discusses the homelands of the astronauts and the natural beauty of deserts, glaciers, the northern lights and everything in between. Observing the world below through images seen from a space station provides a new form of nostalgia; the astronauts are reminiscing on the world they left behind and — even more tragically — the changes it undergoes in their absence.
In addition to the natural loss of earth, there is also a loss of political structure on the space station. Each astronaut is from a different country, and there are remnants of politics from Earth that make their way onto the station. Restrooms are differentiated based on nationality, which, though joked about, is simultaneously indicative of how politics have seeped into life in space. Each character brings with them food from home and supplies that are only meant for themselves — against the wishes of their command base below, the astronauts share them all. Despite this found community, engaging with Earth politics and environmental changes while in space is its own battle. While physically distanced from what’s happening in the world, watching or reading the news, especially about natural disasters that occur below, brings a sense of disconnect between the astronauts and the rest of humanity. These events occur outside the bubble of solitude in which the crew exists, reading almost like fiction, making sense in their heads even if they’re not personally affected.
Yet fictional as they may seem, these stories are relevant to real life. Harvey’s prose masterfully discusses the cost of exploration on our humanity, specifically posing the question: Why are humans never satisfied? In scientific exploration, humans are naturally curious creatures; they push for discovery after discovery, eager to understand new parts of our world. Through her dexterous weaving of the inner thoughts of each astronaut, Harvey acknowledges the cost behind their motivations for exploration: “You might regard in wonder these men walking on the moon but you must never forget the price humanity pays for its moments of glory, because humanity doesn’t know when to stop, it doesn’t know when to call it a day, so be wary.” This price cannot be quantified but is instead specific to the individual. Yet Harvey makes it clear that high achievements, such as space exploration, cannot come easily.
As we watch the six astronauts orbit Earth, we see them looking down at our shared home and the experiences that they have had on it. Harvey takes these stories and looks at the bigger picture of humanity while also narrowing down her prose to the individual level, allowing us to center the lens on what our lives truly mean. It is a haunting, silent song, to witness tragedies from such a distance. The novel reads almost as though it is coming from a place of bittersweet privilege — the astronauts will survive the traumas Earth is facing, while many others won’t. Once again, Harvey urges us to ask: What is the cost of this survival?
In her love letter to Earth, Harvey makes a strong argument on the meaning of life, as well as the lack thereof. The purpose of the astronauts’ mission is vital for the progress of science and society and is therefore incredibly valuable. At the same time, Harvey uses the astronauts as examples, weaving their lives of purpose into the larger context of the universe, illustrating that no matter how all consuming our achievements are, they are infinitesimally small in comparison to the large void of space: “To reach some pinnacle of human achievement only to discover that your achievements are next to nothing and that to understand this is the greatest achievement of any life, which itself is nothing, and also more than everything.” Rather than a morbid tone of impending doom, Harvey’s commentary invites us to think about how each of our lives weaves through one another’s, feeding into the humanity that we all carry with us.
Filled with enchanting prose and unwavering intellect, Harvey’s “Orbital” has earned its comparison to Woolf and its many accolades, including the Booker Prize nomination. More than that, it has earned a place on your shelves, ready to stir introspection in readers with its impressive philosophical prompts and ability to form intimate connections with each of the characters by seeing a little piece of their own humanity in each of them.
Daily Arts Writers Logan Brown and Archisha Pathak can be reached at loganvb@umich.edu and archpath@umich.edu.
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