Dr Johnson said of Milton’s Paradise Lost – all admire it, but few wish it longer.
I have a similar feeling having just finished Orbital by Samantha Harvey. This is an extremely well written book that covers how it feels like to be an astronaut, what effect space and the space race had on the culture of the 20th century and just what an amazing place the Earth as is the Universe it exists in.
It has some interesting, and very diverse, characters as well.
What it doesn’t have is a plot. Nothing much happens, which frankly makes turning the page not very compelling. I finished it with some difficulty. I suppose not having much narrative is a valid choice for an author. And the other features of the book were good enough to win in it the 2024 Booker Prize. But speaking personally, if a work of fiction doesn’t have a story to tell I am going struggle to get to the end of it. But having done so, it doesn’t feel like time badly spent.
