In a remarkable achievement, Samantha Harvey has won the prestigious 2024 Booker Prize for her novel Orbital, a unique narrative crafted during the isolation of the Covid-19 lockdowns. The novel, Harvey’s fifth, explores a single day aboard the International Space Station, offering readers an immersive experience of Earth as seen from space.
Orbital has become a sensation, outselling recent Booker winners and resonating with readers through its vivid portrayal of Earth’s fragile beauty. The Booker Prize judges commended Harvey’s “intensity of attention to the precious and precarious world,” noting her skillful narrative that unfolds over a 24-hour period in orbit.
Written during a time of global confinement, Orbital draws intriguing parallels between the isolation of its characters—six astronauts and cosmonauts witnessing sixteen sunrises and sunsets as they circle the globe—and the sense of restriction many felt during lockdown. Harvey described the experience of her characters as "trapped in a tin can," mirroring the collective experience of isolation on Earth.
With this Booker Prize, now in its 55th year, Harvey joins the ranks of past celebrated winners, including Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, and Yann Martel. Along with literary acclaim, Harvey receives a £50,000 prize, which she humorously plans to put toward a new bike.
Samantha Harvey’s Orbital not only stands as a testament to the power of storytelling during adversity but also inspires a fresh appreciation of our planet’s beauty from an extraordinary perspective.
