My first book of 2025; Orbital was the winner of last year’s Booker Prize. Of the nominees, the only one I’ve read thus far is The Safekeep, which was one of my favorite books last year and I think a superior reading experience. I didn’t love or hate Orbital—while I guess the repetitiveness was part of the point, mimicking the orbits of the space station, it made reading a bit of a slog— but it took me a few days to read precisely because it didn’t provoke much of a reaction in me. The concept of the earth being our home, our role as humans both infinitely minuscule yet also hugely significant, is emphasized throughout the book, and is a familiar one. Some things that had not occurred to me: that multiple orbits of the earth can take place in our 24-hour day; that we are trashing space with debris and junk just like we have our planet; that we seemingly have a inherent need to colonize (in the broadest sense of the term), whether it’s here on earth, the moon, or beyond. There is some beautiful language in Orbital, and things to ponder, so ultimately I’m glad I read it.