This is more of a vibe than a narrative novel, but it’s a really lovely vibe. It’s a glimpse into the lives of six astronauts on a space station circling Earth, their mundane routines and shifting emotions set against the solemn majesty of the planet they orbit.

Having just finished reading a very exciting science-fiction romp, I wasn’t sure how I felt about this book when I first started it. I had to shift down several gears before it clicked with me. I think you have to be in the right mindset, but once I got into the mindset I enjoyed it very much. It’s understated and impressionistic, and the prose is heartbreakingly beautiful. It perfectly captures the fragility of life—human life and the life of our planet alike. It’s a low-key commentary on private grief and the climate disaster, the smallness of human lives and the vastness of the universe, love and loss on a personal, planetary, and cosmic scale.

There’s a passage towards the end which I think sums it all up: “Our lives here are inexpressibly trivial and momentous at once … We matter greatly and not at all.” I think Samantha Harvey has captured this sentiment beautifully in this book.

Further reading…