Christine Herbert's 3 favorite reads in 2025

• 2023
• 2024
• 2025

This novel is an absolutely captivating slice of life from a perspective very few humans have ever been privileged to witness. Orbital focuses around the lives of six astronauts/cosmonauts as they orbit the earth in a space station, an amiable yet claustrophobic cheek-by-jowl existence juxtaposed against the wondrous expanse of space and the vibrant jewel of earth spinning below.

What unfolds is not so much a story as it is a series of paradoxes brough forth for our consideration: how our most treasured relationships bring us the most grief, how achievement leads inevitably to ennui, how the more we learn about the universe, the more we understand how little we know. As the point-of-view oscillates from character to character, from sweeping vistas of the earth to the cramped interior of the space station, the story is an ever-changing and unrelenting kaleidoscope of visual, emotional, and philosophical stimuli.

I found this book is best read in small chunks, orbit by orbit, allowing the lessons it offers—little invitations to wonder—to work upon the reader’s mind.

Part grief memoir, part treatise on falconry, part biography of the famed author T. H. White, part unabashed goshawk fangirling, this story is wholly in a class of its own.

When Macdonald unexpectedly loses her father to a sudden heart attack, her world becomes unmoored. In an effort to attempt to avoid the fallout of her grief, she throws herself into an all-consuming task: training a goshawk. An experienced falconer, she had previously avoided goshawks due to their notoriously bloodthirsty nature and resistance to being tamed, but she becomes obsessed with the idea, knowing that it will require isolation (from well-meaning friends and family) and complete focus (away from her unfathomable loss).

Pinging back and forth from her own experiences and that of T. H. White, as chronicled in his memoir The Goshawk, the struggles of taming the wild are emotional, raw, and utterly relatable. Even for someone such as myself who has no experience of falconry, the idea of inviting the natural world—a touch of wildness—into our lives in order to shift our perceptions is a time-honored tonic for rising above the human condition. This multi-faceted story, and its message, is evergreen.

I’ve always been astounded at the quality of prose and the masterful storytelling of Powers; this story is no exception. The multiple point-of-view narrative revolves primarily between a reclusive tech billionaire, his estranged best friend, the woman they both loved in their own way, and an intrepid marine biologist that fanned the flames of curiosity, imagination, and innovation for their entire generation.

The themes are as varied as the characters themselves. This is a story about colonialism. What creates a brotherhood and what breaks it. It’s about knowing and being true to your innermost self. It’s about the relentless expansion of the technological era and the decline of our natural habitats. It’s about shame, longing, ambition, self-destruction. It’s about being a fish out of water.

There were times I felt let down by certain characterizations, some unfortunate stereotypes and an increasingly “off” feel to the narrative, but I am glad I stayed the course. No spoilers, but I will disclose there is an unexpected twist to this one, which impels the reader to reexamine their entire view and estimation of the story they thought they’d been reading, leading almost inevitably to a return back to page one for a re-read!