Orbital is a short, plotless read about the beautiful fragility of our planet Earth in the unfathomable grandeur of space. Covering the period of just a day, it is deeply ruminative of human thought and perception, as it paints the lives of the four astronauts and two cosmonauts, endlessly orbiting earth in their space module, and the ceaseless desire of man, of exploration and conquest, that made such ventures possible.

This book is written with a wistful and melancholy romanticism. The wordplay sometimes felt unhinged in its attempt at capturing the Earth's magnificence and the emotions of the crew, but I altogether loved the slow and considered feel of the writing.