Thursday, May 15, 2025 @ 6:00 pm | Hanes House
Orbital by Samantha Harvey | Register to attend the discussion
A slender novel of epic power, Orbital deftly snapshots one day in the lives of six women and men hurtling through space—not towards the moon or the vast unknown, but around our planet. We glimpse moments of their earthly lives through brief communications with family, their photos and talismans; we watch them whip up dehydrated meals, float in gravity-free sleep, and exercise in regimented routines to prevent atrophying muscles; we witness them form bonds that will stand between them and utter solitude.
Most of all, we are with them as they behold and record their silent blue planet. Their experiences of sixteen sunrises and sunsets and the bright, blinking constellations of the galaxy are at once breathtakingly awesome and surprisingly intimate. So are the marks of civilization far below, encrusted on the planet on which we live.
Book Club: Far-Flung Corners
Join NCMA Winston-Salem Director Bill Carpenter to discuss six contemporary novels that span the globe while examining how intimacy and connection are formed.
Book club is open to the public – even to those who don't finish the book. Selections range from national bestsellers to experimental novels and the guided discussions cover an array of topics, from themes and imagery to plot structures and character development.