Orbits

What does a day look like during which a person sees sixteen sunrises and sunsets?

The crew of the space station, which orbits the blue planet at a distance of several hundred kilometres, consists of six astronauts: four men and two women. American, Japanese, Italian, English and two Russians. They hover and turn, upside down and upside down - all the while flying at nearly thirty thousand kilometres per hour. What goes through their minds, what do they dream of and what do they fear in the face of an expanding universe? How do they experience the extraordinary view of their home planet and to what extent has it changed their thinking about humanity, God, life or death? Can their psyche withstand the prolonged absence of family, the ordinary benefits of civilization and the weight of the earth? How much will nine months in orbit change them physically? And what about when they return to Earth - how to portray the ineffable beauty and terror of infinity, how to share that extraordinary experience? Will the Earthlings accept them back into their midst, or will they become outcasts?
A poetic novel that won the prestigious Booker Prize in 2024. The acclaimed British author vividly describes the feelings and perceptions of several representatives of the human race looking down from the heavens on their beautiful and fragile planet.