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

I finished this book a while ago, and still think about constantly. It's so dynamic, clever, and relatable. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Net Galley and Knopf for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I have enjoyed the poetry of the author and was excited to read this book of fiction. I tried starting it several times but couldn't get into it. Just recently I tried it again and I very much enjoyed this original story following Cyrus Shams, son of Iranian immigrants who has lost his way and is an addict and poet. At a young age his mother's plane was shot down above Tehran and his father worked a job at a factory farm...all so far from their American dream. Cyrus is on a search for why this happened to his mother, how it has affected his life and what all of this means. His search leads him to a artist who is living out her final days in the Brooklyn Museum and who could be the answer to all his questions. This was something completely different coming from a perspective filled with creativity and uniqueness for how a story is told.

Cyrus Shams is at a standstill in his life. He seems to be recovering from a life of loss. His mother was killed when her plane was shot down over Tehran. His father raised him in the U.S., working 6 days a week at a chicken farm to give Cyrus a decent life, then died when Cyrus went to college. Cyrus is a recovering alcoholic and poet with an obsession with martyrs and with giving meaning to life and to death. So he decides to write a book about martyrs. When he hears about a terminally ill artist whose final exhibit is to die at a Brooklyn museum, he goes to NY to speak with her and his world opens up as a painting -- and secrets -- are discovered.

"Martyr!" is a brilliant book about about a young man on a quest. I loved Cyrus, even when I wanted to shake him. I also loved his friend Zee, who was sort of the Sam to his Frodo. The ending was wild and I loved that, too. All around, this was a beautiful story.

I’m a little late to the party but I was so impressed with author Akbar’s gifts as a writer, perhaps more impressed than I was by this debut novel as a whole. The sheer energy and enthusiasm of his writing got me through chapters that seemed less than essential. His struggle with the power, and limits, of language was more compelling than some of his observations of the immigrant experience, which I thought were fairly generic.

In a bit of slight-of-hand, ultimately the book’s hero is Cyrus’s mother, who I initially thought of as a secondary character. Her own journey is remarkable and thrilling.

Sometimes you are swept along by a writer almost exercising an act of will. It might be easy to quibble with some of this book but any such nitpicks are overwhelmed by Akbar’s absolute talent.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the advance readers copy.

An absolute stunner of a book. Funny and touching, I loved the narration and characterization across the board.

"Martyr!" Is a patchwork of points-of-view and levels of potential. It was hard to get going on it, but I did make it through. My thought: it needed more editorial work in development to bring all those elements together. What's good: Cyrus' struggle with addition is poignant as well as exasperating, and some of the writing is truly fine. I still think that Martyr! Will be up for awards. I just wish it was all it could be.

Thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for digital access to Kaveh Akbar's fiction debut in exchange for an honest review.

This novel was beautiful, unique and startling. You can absolutely tell that the author is a poet as the writing was so beautifully lyrical and moving. The story won’t be for everyone due to trigger warnings (suicidal ideation) but it’s a gorgeous novel with a a profoundly moving message.