A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers
Published 2016 · 448 pages · 105,266 words · about 8 hours at an average pace · Science Fiction, Literary Fiction
How hard is A Closed and Common Orbit to read?
A Closed and Common Orbit scores 60 out of 100 for difficulty on ReadingRate, making it quite demanding. The score is a weighted composite of nine measures: four of how hard the prose is to parse, five of how hard the meaning is to extract.
- Vocabulary: 58 out of 100
- The novel presents a dual narrative, with one perspective (Jane) employing intentionally simple, child-like vocabulary and repetitive phrasing. However, the other perspective (Sidra) introduces a moderate amount of specialized science fiction terminology and invented names for species, technologies, and locations (e.g., "Linkings," "petbot," "Aeluons," "Port Coriol"). These terms, while often clarified by context, require consistent engagement from the reader, placing the overall vocabulary above accessible contemporary fiction.
- Sentence structure: 48 out of 100
- The narrative employs a dual approach to syntax; Jane's chapters feature predominantly short, declarative sentences that mirror a child's direct speech and thought. In contrast, Sidra's sections contain more varied sentence structures, including longer sentences with subordinate clauses, particularly during her internal monologues and processing. While Sidra's prose is fluid and clear, it lacks the extensive hypotaxis or extreme sentence length found in highly syntactically complex works, maintaining overall accessibility.
- Abstraction: 68 out of 100
- The novel consistently explores profound philosophical questions, particularly through Sidra's internal monologues, which delve into the nature of sentience, identity, and the self for an artificial intelligence. While Jane's storyline grounds these concepts in a child's concrete understanding of the world, Sidra's perspective frequently engages with abstract ideas such as free will, purpose, and the mind-body problem. This sustained inquiry into existential themes elevates the abstraction level beyond typical narrative fiction.
- Information density: 62 out of 100
- The novel features a rich tapestry of world-building, particularly in Sidra's chapters, where numerous alien species, complex cultural practices (e.g., Aeluon gender roles, Shimmerquick traditions), and advanced technologies are introduced and explained. This requires the reader to absorb a significant amount of new information and terminology to fully engage with the narrative. While Jane's storyline presents information at a more gradual pace, the overall density of concepts and details remains consistently high.
- Narrative indirection: 45 out of 100
- The narrative generally presents characters' thoughts and feelings directly, particularly Sidra's due to her honesty protocol. While Jane's limited understanding of her world requires the reader to infer the true nature of the factory and the outside, the narrator does not deliberately obscure meaning. This approach is more direct than works like 'Beloved' (50) but requires more active world-building inference than '1984' (35).
- Symbolic density: 70 out of 100
- The novel is rich with thematic weight beyond literal events, where objects and journeys carry significant meaning. Sidra's body kit and her tattoo explicitly symbolize the integration of mind and body, and the struggle for identity and personhood. Jane's journey from the oppressive factory to the 'outside' and her quest to fix the ship are deeply allegorical, akin to the thematic depth found in 'Heart of Darkness' (65) or 'The Great Gatsby' (75).
- Ironic distance: 38 out of 100
- The narrative maintains a largely earnest and empathetic tone, directly engaging with the characters' emotional and existential struggles without pervasive satire. While the interspersed 'Picnic' forum snippets offer brief, sharp critiques of human folly, they are isolated instances. This places the text closer to the direct emotional engagement of 'It Ends with Us' (35) rather than the complex ironic layers of 'Lolita' (75).
- Resolution withholding: 78 out of 100
- The excerpt deliberately leaves major character arcs and plot points unresolved, emphasizing ongoing journeys and future potential. Jane's story concludes with her broken leg and a new, ambitious goal to fix the ship to 'go to space,' while Sidra's ends with a shift in perspective rather than definitive closure. This open-endedness regarding the characters' ultimate fates and the world's mysteries is comparable to 'Crying of Lot 49' (75), though not as extreme as 'Waiting for Godot' (95).
- Structural complexity: 72 out of 100
- The narrative employs a dual-protagonist structure, alternating between Sidra's and Jane's perspectives, which are presented in non-linear timelines. Jane's story jumps between different ages (10, 12, 14), requiring the reader to actively track her development across discontinuous segments. The inclusion of 'Feed source: unknown' forum posts further fragments the narrative, introducing external, asynchronous commentary, making it more complex than 'The Great Gatsby' (55) and approaching the fragmented chronology of 'Midnight's Children' (68) or 'Flights' (78).
How A Closed and Common Orbit is regarded
A Closed and Common Orbit holds a literary regard score of 41 out of 100, weighing its place in the canon, its critical reception, its influence on other writers, and the standing of its author. Regard is measured separately from difficulty: a demanding book is not necessarily an admired one.