“Think a new thought, they sometimes tell themselves. The thoughts you have in orbit are so grandiose and old. Think a new one, a completely fresh unthought one.”
Nothing could have been a better beginning for me this year than these lines from the book, ORBITAL. Written by Samantha Harvey, this 136-page slim novel happens to be The Booker Prize 2024 Winner and, according to Edmund de Waal, Chair of Judges, reflects “the precious and precarious world we share.”
More than a Space Story
The story, unadorned, is about six astronauts and cosmonauts from diverse countries, who orbit the Earth in the International Space Station, 16 times in the span of a single day! While they have serious scientific and meteorological concerns to address and act upon, they collectively perform another task as well. They observe Earth from a distance only to acknowledge how close they are to their beloved planet and its people. Their “Eyes (are) filled with sights that are difficult to tell.”
Equally daunting is the acceptance of the fragility of human life and the fleeting nature of human experiences. Only in a gravity-free space can the earthly pull be truly appreciated and only within a regimented routine is the spontaneity of human connections, cherished.
The Plot or In Perpetuity?
For the takers of the finite, apart from the day-to-day lives, memories and mementos of the six astronauts, there are only two or three significant events that are mentioned in the novel. All of them take place on Earth –a rocket launch to the moon, the death of a mother and the gathering of a terrific typhoon over an island – to generate an extremely potent probe for the characters and the readers alike:
“What is Earth without humanity?”
“Can we not stop tyrannising and destroying…this one thing on which our lives depend?”
For those who lust after the limitless, Orbital is an ode to infinitude as it drives to dissolve all sorts of distinctions to present humanity as an interlinked and interdependent whole. Neither binding borders nor time zones can define an individual, and singular stories can thrive only when conceived in the collective narrative.
Now, while some of you may argue that these are “no new thoughts,” Samantha herself clarifies right at the onset of the awe-inspiring book that they are “old thoughts born into new moments…”
Nothing New till You Internalise it…
Indeed, there is nothing new in the thought that co-operation and community, and not conflict and chaos, is the way forward. But how many of us have internalised the urgency of the approach? How many of us along with our personal goals for 2025 have considered it a priority towards doing something for ‘our silent blue planet’ and understanding its insular, opinionated people? I must admit that my myopic 2025 To-Do List lacks any such altruistic inclusion. For me, it is a new approach and one that should be deemed as non-negotiable.
To begin with, like the astronauts, I must tell myself every day that “this is the morning of a new day” and the Earth in which I AM is “a burst of hopeful colour.” I need to accept the ordinariness of ‘fifty-four clean pairs of socks’, ‘a puddle in a pothole’ and ‘pearl-barley porridge’ to be able to behold the beauty of “the perfect solar arrays drinking sun.” In other words, random, monotonous and weird acts are meant to be juxtaposed with intentional, stimulating and spectacular ones. Only when the contraries are in tandem, can the purpose of a human life be perceived and projected.
Perhaps each one of us needs to be in space once to realize that all the borders and boundaries that divide and delineate us are superimposed and, of course, manmade. Consequently, every conflict is petty yet potent enough to change Earth into “a planet contoured and landscaped by (human) want.” Here I’m reminded of H.G. Wells when he predicted, “If we don’t end war, war will end us”. Right now, it is not a rue but a reality.
Passive or Powerless?
A worthy piece of art edifies as well as entertains. By its magnificent geographical descriptions and deep philosophical discussions, Orbital inspires for sure but also does not fail in instigating the reader to reconsider her long-held ideas and assumptions.
In fact, with the tremendous advancement in the field of technology, we too have the vantage point of exposure and availability. Cocooned in our own rooms, we can see all that is happening around the world but are we powerless like the men orbiting the planet? Can we respond and react to the natural and human disasters unfolding every instant in front of our eyes? Or do we choose to remain passive and use our potential merely to drive private motives?
The answers are intimate and involuntary. But the impact of the degradation and destruction is irrevocable and inclusive. Imagine the catastrophe when the rains share the fate of the coral reefs…they die and disappear!
Not a Review…but a Rumination…
While the Financial Times calls the book, “Luminous” and many readers might find it immersive and extraordinary, there could be others for whom the poetic prose is a disappointment. It defies the conventional norms of a traditional novel, is lacking in a progressive plot and character development strategies and is too heavy in its meditative musings.
But since my article is not a review, I would prefer to regard Orbital as an impetus for intense introspection and immediate implementation. It is time for each one of us to address impending existential and environmental concerns. We are suspended on “an edgeless edge”, left with no other alternative but to obey the clarion call to assume accountability for where we live and how we affect it. So, whether you will promote peace or green energy or bolster both, depends on you. But a new thing needs to be done and now is the only time to do it.
Facebook Comments