This was a very funny, enjoyable book with deeper, more important subtextual aspects. Incredible writing that touches on sexuality, addiction, family trauma and so much more, it surprised me and gave me all the feels!

A novel that explores so much of what it means to live and love including all the pain and joy it can bring. Told across multiple timelines and points of view between Cyrus Sham and his mother and father, this book includes themes of sobriety/addiction, grief, death/dying, and martyrdom. You can tell this is written by a poet, especially in the end when the scene delves into an almost dreamscape of colors. It's a truly beautiful and complex novel that I will thinking about for years to come.

What a surprise and the book of the year from so many sources! I was drawn in originally by the cover and typography choices, but was taken aback by the story and contents delivered so masterfully for a debut.

I don't think I can write any review that would express how incredible this book was. Just read it! Gorgeous writing, a moving story - it dives deep into big philosophical questions and considerations about life, death, and everything in between in a way that flows with the story and stays with you long after you read it. The book follows an Iranian man whose contemplating these issues as he starts attending an exhibit at a museum where a dying artist, diagnosed with cancer, will have conversations with visitors to the museum. The conversations and everything between them open a conversation with the reader about all these big thoughts and ideas and will open your mind to new perceptions, questions, answers, and conversations. Looooved!

This novel presents an important perspective, that of a young man recently transplanted to the US from Iran, and lacking strong family support. It's worth reading simply for this perspective. The addiction and homosexuality is not really unique anymore as there are so many novels to choose from where the single male characters struggle with addiction and gayness. There are too many dream scenes and they are always a tough sell and apart from that there are so many cultural references to people that many Americans will not understand. The writing is inspiring and enjoyable regardless of what he is writing about--the voice is just really lyrical and many sentences are so wonderful they are worth re-reading.

The rare piece of literature that feels like an honour to read. Poets make incredible novelists, and this is no exception. Beautiful, heartbreaking, astonishing in its originality.

“Martyr” by Kaveh Akbar explores identity and death. The protagonist, Cyrus Sham, tries to find meaning for his life and for his possible death. He wants to write a book that examines “martyrs”, but as an Iranian American, he is afraid that he will be judged as the “typical” Iranian man who is angry and wants to die. Cyrus is alone as his parents both died, except for a few close friends who encourage him to travel from Indiana to NYC in order to see an art installation of a dying woman. Can this woman help him understand life and death?

Overall, I appreciate what the author was trying to do, but I found the protagonist to be unlikeable and difficult to connect to. Because Akbar alternates perspectives of Cyrus’s father, mother, and uncle, the reader learns about their lives in Iran. In all honesty, I wanted more about his mother. She was such a strong woman but so mysterious.

Thank you to Kaveh Akbar, Knopf, and NetGalley for the ARC.

How can a book about depression, grief and loss, alcoholism, addiction, and trying to survive everyday life be so damn beautiful? I devoured this book in a day and I know I didn't full grasp all of it so it will definitely be a reread. And rereads are not something that I do often, so that should tell you a lot about this book. Absolutely amazing.

This book was A Poetic Journey Through Identity and Redemption. Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar was an immersive experience that left a profound impact on me. Akbar, celebrated for his poetry, seamlessly transitions into fiction with this debut novel, crafting a narrative that is both lyrical and deeply introspective.

The story follows Cyrus Shams, a queer Iranian American poet grappling with addiction, depression, and the haunting legacy of his family’s past. His mother’s tragic death in a U.S. missile strike and his father’s subsequent struggles have left Cyrus in a relentless search for meaning and redemption. This quest leads him to Orkideh, a terminally ill artist residing in the Brooklyn Museum, whose presence becomes a catalyst for Cyrus’s self-discovery.

Akbar’s prose is imbued with the richness of his poetic background, offering vivid imagery and profound reflections on faith, art, and identity. The novel’s structure, reminiscent of a classical five-act tragedy, adds depth to the unfolding drama, making each revelation both surprising and inevitable.

The story delves into the complexities of identity, the search for meaning, and the redemptive power of art, Martyr! is a must-read. Kaveh Akbar has crafted a story that resonates with authenticity and emotional depth, leaving a lasting impression long after the final page.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Akbar’s writing is lyrical and evocative, pulling readers into a world where personal identity, family history, and existential questions collide. Cyrus’s journey is not just one of self-destruction but also a quest for understanding. The novel is not easy reading. Its nonlinear narrative, fragmented structure, and heavy themes of violence and loss can be challenging at times, but they also contribute to the book’s emotional depth and complexity. The story demands patience from the reader, but those who stick with it will find themselves rewarded with a rich, multifaceted exploration of grief, identity, and the search for meaning.

I"m so happy this book is getting so much attention as one of the best books of the year, because it deserves it. It is poignant and beautifully written.

After Cyrus’s mother is killed on a flight that is shot down by American troops, Cyrus tries to find meaning in death. His journey is funny, poignant and brilliantly written with a fantastic twist at the end.

One of the best books I've read all year, easily sky-rocketed Akbar to an autobuy author for me. Martyr! is an achingly powerful character study of Cyrus, an orphaned Iranian queer man as he navigates the world newly sober.

This book is a brilliant struggle. I keep re-reading parts of it, talking about it with others, analyzing Cyrus’s breakthroughs with fellow readers. It’s a book I feel like I will never be finished with, which is a unique gift.

What a refreshing novel - so many topics are explored and the ending is fiction at its best. Cyrus is a young man working his way through multiple issues. Family, addiction, art and friendship are all explored and the reader will come to root for Cyrus as he follows his path to an artist living her end days at a museum.

A really unique and special novel, although the constantly changing timelines and perspectives were overwhelming at times.

The Martyr! is a beautifully written albeit eccentric and esoteric novel which explores the search for one’s meaning in life and death. It’s an honest look at the human search for meaning in the face of depression, oppression, cultural identity, addiction, intergenerational loss and trauma, poverty, gender and sexual identity and so much more. It delved into dark places with sprinkles of lightness and humor. It was definitely not a light read! This novel is thought provoking and philosophical, exploring many existential questions such as the meaning of “goodness”. Is goodness the absence of actions which lead to negative consequences for others, or does it require intentional acts of “goodness”?

In my experience, this book started out strong, dragged a bit in the middle, and ended strong (and somewhat confusing). At times it felt as though the author tried to throw too much into the span of this novel. That being said, I enjoyed the experience of this novel, and I would recommend it to others.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kaveh Akbar, and Knopf Publishing for sharing this free ARC digital copy.

This is a touching novel about a young Iranian American who wants his life to have meaning. His story is sad and touching. His father has died and his mother died when he was an infant. He tries to make sense of his newly sober life.

An exquisitely crafted and gut-wrenching journey through queer and immigrant identity, addiction, grief, and everything in between. So many parts of this book simultaneously lit up the parts of me that want to laugh and want to cry. The relationships are realistically drawn and the dialogue is unbeatable—in audiobook form (I read this both ways), it reads as perfectly as a film script. Though my praise for this book seems rather bland, my feelings for it are anything but. I just feel like I got to live in the mind of a very messed up, very relatable narrator and like his pains and joys were mine. It’s the kind of reading experience that I grieve being over. I just want to crawl back into Cyrus’s pov. Don’t miss.

I struggled to start this book but once I did (!) I couldn’t put it down. The witty wry sense of humor carried the story along and helped Akbar’s Cyrus deal with all the difficult things tossed his way.

And when I say difficult things I mean DIFFICULT things so be sure to note the cw before you decide to start reading.

cw: suicidal ideation, parent death, drug addiction, alcoholism, suicide, depression