Samantha Harvey wins 2024 Booker Prize for space-station novel Orbital

Samantha Harvey won the 2024 Booker Prize for her novel "Orbital," set on the International Space Station. The book explores Earth's beauty and fragility through the experiences of six astronauts. Harvey began writing it during the COVID-19 pandemic. The prize, worth £50,000 ($64,000), marks Harvey as the first British winner since 2020. She is also the first female winner since 2019. The judging panel praised the novel's writing and its ability to evoke new perspectives on the world. Harvey's win comes amid a competitive field of six finalists, including works from Canada, the U.S., Australia, and the Netherlands. The Booker Prize, established in 1969, recognizes outstanding English-language novels published in the UK or Ireland.