A review by nathansnook
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
Major thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts:
"𝘐𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘨𝘰."
If Terrence Malick did 2001: 𝘈 𝘚𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘖𝘥𝘺𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘺, without the running time.
In this meditative sci-fi slowburn, we look at life from a distance. How precious it is. If anything, this very much feels like a pandemic book, except the self is so far removed from the here. Harvey wanted out for her characters, and she chose to fling them far into space, musing on life on earth. Though futuristic, there is no future. Rather the story and sentiments are amberized in communication between the past and the present.
"𝘕𝘰 𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦-𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦; 𝘯𝘰, 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘺, 𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘧𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤. 𝘈 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵-𝘚𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘺."
Though there is no future, Harvey explores hope in the beauty of the world and how we leave it behind.
Hope in beauty. Is that how I've lived? Moved through the days? Does it help? What else helps? Who knows?
Who knows in this meat suit crunching through hours on a floating rock.
Who knows.
"𝘐𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘨𝘰."
If Terrence Malick did 2001: 𝘈 𝘚𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘖𝘥𝘺𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘺, without the running time.
In this meditative sci-fi slowburn, we look at life from a distance. How precious it is. If anything, this very much feels like a pandemic book, except the self is so far removed from the here. Harvey wanted out for her characters, and she chose to fling them far into space, musing on life on earth. Though futuristic, there is no future. Rather the story and sentiments are amberized in communication between the past and the present.
"𝘕𝘰 𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦-𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦; 𝘯𝘰, 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘺, 𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘧𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤. 𝘈 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵-𝘚𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘺."
Though there is no future, Harvey explores hope in the beauty of the world and how we leave it behind.
Hope in beauty. Is that how I've lived? Moved through the days? Does it help? What else helps? Who knows?
Who knows in this meat suit crunching through hours on a floating rock.
Who knows.