Martyr!: A Novel

Cyrus Shams is an Iranian immigrant, although he came to the United States as a baby so identifies with both his Middle Eastern and his American backgrounds. His mother was shot down in a plane by the American military on a commercial flight when Cyrus was four months old so he has no memory of her. His father decided to come to the United States to make a new life for he and Cyrus but could only find factory work, killing chickens in a processing plant. Cyrus has one uncle left in Iran, his mother's brother. He suffers from PSTD from his role in the war with Iraq where he rode the battlefield dressed in black, offering comfort to those left dying there. Now as an adult, Cyrus isn't sure what he will do. He went off the deep end for quite a while, drinking and doing drugs. He has been sober for about a year now and considering writing a book about martyrs as he feels he has extensive knowledge of them. Cyrus is a poet and unsure if his book will be in prose or verse. He also plays with the idea of doing away with himself as another example of a martyr. Cyrus hears of an art installation in New York. An Iranian female artist is dying, a victim of cancer. She is choosing to live out her life at the museum, sitting and willing to talk with any of the museum patrons. Cyrus is fascinated with this and along with his best friend and sometime lover, goes to New York to see what the woman has to say about martyrship. Will she change his mind? Kaveh Akbar is an Iranian immigrant himself, born in Iran but now in the United States where he teaches in Iowa. He has two books of published poetry and his work has appeared in many magazines. He is the poet editor of The Review. This is his debut novel and it is shortlisted for the National Book Award, a Times Best 10 Book and a New York Time's Book Review 10 Best Books of the Year. Cyrus will pluck the heartstrings of the reader as they cheer him on, hoping that he can find peace and a reason to live. Poetry, the immigrant experience and the high rate of addiction among those whose lives start in chaos are discussed. This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction and those interested in the lives of those from other cultures.

This book came with so much advance hype that it might just have been impossible for it to live up to expectations, but Akbar comes pretty close. He shows flashes of brilliance, and his narrative skills are phenomenal. The story is gripping, and his characters are genuine - flawed but sympathetic. But…. There are aspects of the book, particularly the ending, that are perplexing. I won’t go into details, but when I got through the book I kind of said “Huh?” Maybe not a perfect book, but a good one. I look forward to more from this obviously talented author.

“I want to be worthy of the great terror my existence inspires.” This book left me absolutely breathless. 72 hours after finishing it, I’m still suffering from the hangover of how much I loved it. Martyr! follows Cyrus, a yet-to-be-discovered Iranian American poet, as he tries to make sense of his life and his grief. His mother is dead, his father is dead, he’s stuck in a job as a medical actor, and now that he’s sober, he can’t use substances to take the edge off. He’s starting to wonder whether joy is even real anymore when he’s struck by his next great idea: he’ll write a book about martyrs. As he begins searching the world for examples, a friend tells him about a museum exhibit: an Iranian woman, dying of cancer, spending her last days in the museum, talking to people. And thus begins Cyrus’s search for meaning. Being familiar with Akbar’s poetry, I thought I knew what I was getting myself into when I cracked this book open. The goosebumps that peppered my arms and tears that crawled down my face while I was reading would suggest otherwise. Akbar’s lyricism effortlessly echoes through every line of this book. Martyr! illustrates the power and the insufficiency of language, the way it can both elucidate and obscure. Beyond the prose, Akbar’s fiction debut tackles a wide range of topics: grief, racism, sexuality, family dynamics, Persian culture, gender roles. Martyr!’s characters leap off the page as Akbar employs them to explore these diverse subjects. With alternating POVs between Cyrus, his mother, his father, and his uncle, this book becomes both a captivating character study and a heart-rending family saga. This is another must-read recommendation for my diverse lit-fic lovers! Thank you, Kaveh, for such beautiful polysexual and sapphic representation and for everything I learned about Persian culture. I’m already planning to reread Martyr! later this year 🌻 Run, don’t walk, to pick up a copy of this amazing new book!

Solid work. Slows a little towards the middle . But good . Plot works . But slow . It’s ok.

A Novel is one of those rare books that lingers long after you finish it. The writing is absolutely beautiful—lyrical and poetic without feeling forced—and it elevates what could have been a simple story into something much more profound.

I laughed and cried and highlighting many gorgeous lines. Poetic, philosophical, relatable, warm, and deep. Not a beach read, but a great read for anyone at a cross roads.

I've just finished reading this book for a class on the Dayton Literary Peace Prize at the University of Dayton. I began the book on my guard because our class moderator said "this is the only book given the top award that I've ever dislike." Fair enough warning. Cyrus, the protagonist, is a pill-popping, alcoholic, fouled-up college student--seriously impossible to like! In addition, the chapters jump back-&-forth through time with a confusing multitude of characters. HOWEVER, please stick with it as it turns into one of those books which will amaze you about the beauty & power of literary fiction. By the time you reach the dazzling finale you will have wanted to underline all the tremendous bits of humor and philosophy. NOT TO BE MISSED!

I confess I had a hard time finishing this novel, getting stuck and unmotivated about halfway through. It’s worth plowing ahead because it does get better, and is beautifully written the whole way through.