Martyr!: A Novel
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • SHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW'S 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR • A TIME MUST-READ BOOK OF THE YEAR • A newly sober, orphaned son of Iranian immigrants, guided by the voices of artists, poets, and kings, embarks on a remarkable search for a family secret that leads him to a terminally ill painter living out her final days in the Brooklyn Museum. Electrifying, funny, and wholly original, Martyr! heralds the arrival of an essential new voice in contemporary fiction.
“Kaveh Akbar is one of my favorite writers. Ever.” —Tommy Orange, Pulitzer Prize–nominated author of There There
“The best novel you'll ever read about the joy of language, addiction, displacement, martyrdom, belonging, homesickness.” —Lauren Groff, best-selling author of Matrix and Fates and Furies
Cyrus Shams is a young man grappling with an inheritance of violence and loss: his mother’s plane was shot down over the skies of the Persian Gulf in a senseless accident; and his father’s life in America was circumscribed by his work killing chickens at a factory farm in the Midwest. Cyrus is a drunk, an addict, and a poet, whose obsession with martyrs leads him to examine the mysteries of his past—toward an uncle who rode through Iranian battlefields dressed as the angel of death to inspire and comfort the dying, and toward his mother, through a painting discovered in a Brooklyn art gallery that suggests she may not have been who or what she seemed.
Kaveh Akbar’s Martyr! is a paean to how we spend our lives seeking meaning—in faith, art, ourselves, others.
“Kaveh Akbar is one of my favorite writers. Ever.” —Tommy Orange, Pulitzer Prize–nominated author of There There
“The best novel you'll ever read about the joy of language, addiction, displacement, martyrdom, belonging, homesickness.” —Lauren Groff, best-selling author of Matrix and Fates and Furies
Cyrus Shams is a young man grappling with an inheritance of violence and loss: his mother’s plane was shot down over the skies of the Persian Gulf in a senseless accident; and his father’s life in America was circumscribed by his work killing chickens at a factory farm in the Midwest. Cyrus is a drunk, an addict, and a poet, whose obsession with martyrs leads him to examine the mysteries of his past—toward an uncle who rode through Iranian battlefields dressed as the angel of death to inspire and comfort the dying, and toward his mother, through a painting discovered in a Brooklyn art gallery that suggests she may not have been who or what she seemed.
Kaveh Akbar’s Martyr! is a paean to how we spend our lives seeking meaning—in faith, art, ourselves, others.
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Community Reviews
I’m not convinced the author knows the definition of martyr. I did not appreciate his low perspective on people or the world. There was a lack of insight on how people truly behave. His negative view of God, human nature, and the world, keeps the book from having true insight on a world filled with good and bad.
it's been a long time since i read a book and was sure at the end that it was 5 stars. i don't even know what exactly about it, like if this is objectively a 5 star book, but i just loved the writing, the story, the themes. this book blew me away. i almost wish i had been able to read this book years ago, but actually i think it was perfect for where i'm at in my life right now.
roomie book bracket #8
rating: 5 stars
roomie book bracket #8
rating: 5 stars
3.5/5. I have to be honest, I really didnât enjoy the first 3/5 of this book. Felt a bit overwrought and contrived. I know that Akbar is a celebrated poet, but this does feel like his first dive into prose. However the plot took a turn and I got really into the last part of the book. I still think Akbar has room to grow as a novelist, but I would definitely be interested in reading his poetry.
I love a novel that draws me in immediately like this one did. 'Martyr' had some really high points, but also had moments where the story would jump around that I felt a little disconnected too. This one was a 3.9/5
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