A well-crafted story with plenty to appreciate. The pacing, characters, and plot twists kept me interested throughout. I'm looking forward to seeing how readers respond once it's released!

This was a well written book with an original voice behind it. There is much in it that many readers will adore from the authors poetical language to his ambiguous and daring prose.

Martyr! is a achingly beautiful tale of trying to find one’s meaning, and coming to terms with your family, loved ones and yourself. The most incredible and moving book I have read this year.

What particularly struck a chord with me when reading Akbar's novel is the concept of the martyr that is explored and problematized, and, specifically, martyrdom as an act of resisting erasure by the forces that oppress you and casting a shadow on the clarity and complexities of the term itself.

An incredible book and worthy shortlisted for the debut fiction prize. Akbar is as poetic as he is delightfully funny. My full review will be on Waterstones.com asap.

This book took you on an emotional journey of abuse and discovery as the main character has dealt with his alcohol addiction and finding out things about his Iranian family. enjoyed this book overall as talks about his emotions and trying to find himself

Very much enjoyed the writing style with chapters dedicated to different perspectives. Would recommend to friends!

A book full of beautiful wording, lyricism, and imagery. It is evident the author is a poet. I found the content disjoined and chaotic, however. There is only so far that beautiful words can get you. I feel that perhaps my negative views are based on consumption expectations. I expect that this book will be greatly received. However I did not get along with the structure.

A fluid and meandering muse on the meaning of life, death and everything in between. Told through multiple perspectives there is a philosophical question running through this book and it's depth requires careful measure and thought. This isn't a quiet tale of redemption, more it's a quest without answer. What is the meaning of life? What is a meaningful death? Why do we reverse art for arts' sake? Why is it so hard to accept love despite yearning for it?

I found this to be an interesting read but at times disjointed (though that might be intentional). I liked the way it made me think and ponder life but I think it's a book that requires multiple reads and not one to fly through which is my tendency.

This book touches on some super heavy subjects but the author does a great job of keeping the book a little bit weightless and not bogged down by the subject matter. It has a multi-POV structure and essentially the characters are destined to enter each others lives.

A beautiful heartbreaking novel following a man trying to make his way through life in a world that he does not feel comfortable or secure in.

Whilst I enjoyed the multiple perspectives and cut away at the start of chapters, ultimately I didn’t ‘get’ what this book was trying to say. It confused me and I just didn’t enjoy it at all

With thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.
#Martyr #NetGalley

A hodgepodge. A pick and mix. A disparate menu of encounters that have little fluidity in their narrative throughline. This book presents as a haberdashery [if you will!], of stories, morals, ideas and emotional vignettes that begin to stir a sense of story, but never quite finish.
I am very aware that my criticisms of this book are likely, in the main, down to taste and preference. Undoubtedly this sits in an area of contemporary fiction release that will be dubbed ‘important’ and ‘inventive’ and for some will be enough to present the patchwork of scenes and ideas about the human condition to be enjoyable.

The story which follows Akbar – whom we are told is ‘lost’, as a son of Iranian immigrants, but who is also an orphan.
We learn of his mother’s story, as her plane is shot down over the Persian Gulf in a range of flashbacks. At the same time, as he also tries to stay sober, Cyrus becomes fixated on how he can come to terms with his mother’s meaningless death. In amongst his plight for the truth about her, we also discover his obsession with lives of martyrs, his uncle who fought in Iranian battlefields and the dying artist he has a chance encounter with, in Brooklyn. The patchwork of scenes that attempt to finally knit together into a complete picture explore how Cyrus searches for meaning and eventually makes a transformational revelation.

In reading it, for my tastes, this novel loiters around in an area of ‘not quite feeling finished’. Unfinished scenes, and more importantly characters, who feel undone and not whole or tangible to access and therefore as a reader I struggled to care about or emote for them. For each fleeting moment of the protagonist in his search for sobriety and meaning giving a sense of understanding about his where and why for; the narrative swiftly jumps to another person and story
Arguably, the ending gets stronger as some closure is found, and there is eventually a sense of clarity about the mindset and rationale behind a lot of Cyrus’ choices, desires and behaviours.
I read elsewhere a review that suggested this needed a little longer in the publishing oven, and I really do agree. There are so many unexplored avenues and questions that need to be answered to anchor the meaning and potential of this story. It’s not that enigmas are created here in an engaging way – it’s often puzzlement or confusion. Akbar’s poetic prowess is befitting of the crafting of language and description in Martyr!, but in turn feels like it has left the required robustness of a well-drawn narrative lacking.
Undoubtedly important in the message, culture and wisdom that the many parts of this book individually have, and I can understand why, if you don’t mind the approach, this book could be meaningful.

Beautiful language with such an interesting premise. Plot coupled with incredible language, some small qualms with the turns of the plot. Otherwise incredibly thought-provoking and will be returning to this one!

I learnt as much as I felt with this one. I found the characters well formed and the over arching theme of what makes a ‘good’ death interesting. I thought the twist worked well and I loved the ending. I’d read this Author again.

This one got off to a slow start for me, but once I became invested, I was thoroughly gripped.

Cyrus is a recovering addict fascinated by the concept of martyrdom and neglecting his internal struggles with grief and loneliness. The novel follows his struggles with addiction as well as recovery. I found the jumping back and forth between time and point of view a little confusing at first, though as the novel progresses you come to understand why it is written this way, and the threads do start to come together beautifully.

Endeavouring to write a novel on Martyrs, but confused about his own understanding of the term, Cyrus stumbles across an artist, dying of cancer, showcasing her final weeks of life by living in a gallery, creating an exhibition of her passing, allowing members of the public to talk to her about her experiences and bring people a finer understanding of what it means to be alive. Certain that this will be the boost that his novel needs to take it from a collection of musings to a serious book, Cyrus makes the journey and starts getting to know the dying woman.

It's hard to say more without spoiling the reading experience, but trust me, this is a novel you'll become fully invested in. It shocked me and opened my mind in many ways, touching on various issues and themes that I don't often find myself considering. It's an excellent novel, I truly recommend it.

delicious exciting text, keeps you eagerly anticipatedly reading. I adore the author and am excited to read as much as I can from him.

"Martyr!" by Kaveh Akbar is a poignant and thought-provoking exploration of loss, identity, and the search for truth. Cyrus Shams has been haunted by the tragic loss of his mother since her plane was shot down over the Persian Gulf when he was just a baby. Now, newly sober, he embarks on a journey to uncover the truth of her life and death. Along the way, he encounters a dying artist whose revelations lead Cyrus to confront the mysteries of his past, including an enigmatic uncle and a haunting work of art by an exiled painter. As Cyrus delves deeper into his family's history, he discovers shocking truths that challenge his understanding of who his mother truly was.

Akbar's prose is electrifying and evocative, drawing readers into Cyrus's emotional turmoil and quest for meaning. The novel is both funny and profound, blending humor with moments of deep introspection and revelation. Through Cyrus's search for answers, Akbar skillfully explores themes of grief, identity, and the complexities of familial relationships. The final revelation transforms Cyrus's understanding of his past and forces him to confront uncomfortable truths, leading to a powerful and cathartic conclusion.

However, while "Martyr!" is a compelling and original work of fiction, it may not be suited to every reader's taste. Some may find the nonlinear narrative and surreal elements challenging to follow, and the novel's focus on introspection and philosophical inquiry may not appeal to those seeking a more plot-driven story. Additionally, certain aspects of the novel's conclusion may feel ambiguous or open to interpretation. Despite these potential drawbacks, "Martyr!" heralds the arrival of Kaveh Akbar as a blazing and essential new voice in contemporary fiction, offering readers an electrifying and profound exploration of love, loss, and the search for truth.

A wonderful little debut looking at life and loss and art and meaning. I enjoyed the messiness of it and of the main character, and the lightness of the writing against the depth of the topics. It was an easy read despite being also a difficult read. I could have read a whole book of conversations between the writer and the artist, and the moments set in the past in Iran felt especially sparky and poignant. Wonderful characters. The writing sometimes tended towards the tooth aching end of earnest, and I’m not sure about the ending, but definitely a strong read.

I’d read the Iranian American poet’s two full-length collections and particularly admired Pilgrim Bell, one of my favourite books of 2021. That was enough for me to put this on my Most Anticipated list for 2024, even though based on the synopsis I wrote: “His debut novel sounds kind of unhinged, but I figure it’s worth a try.” Here’s an excerpt from the publisher’s blurb: “When Cyrus’s obsession with the lives of the martyrs – Bobby Sands, Joan of Arc – leads him to a chance encounter with a dying artist, he finds himself drawn towards the mysteries of an uncle who rode through Iranian battlefields dressed as the Angel of Death; and toward his [late] mother, who may not have been who or what she seemed.”

Cyrus Shams is an Iranian American aspiring poet who grew up in Indiana with a single father, his mother Roya having died in a passenger aircraft mistakenly shot down by a U.S. Navy missile cruiser (this really happened: Iran Air Flight 655, on 3 July 1988). He continues to lurk around the Keady University campus, working as a medical actor at the hospital, but his ambition is to write. During his shaky recovery from drug and alcohol abuse, he undertakes a project that seems divinely inspired: “Tired of interventionist pyrotechnics like burning bushes and locust plagues, maybe God now worked through the tired eyes of drunk Iranians in the American Midwest”. By seeking the meaning in others’ deaths, he hopes his modern “Book of Martyrs” will teach him how to cherish his own life.

This document, which we see in fragments, sets up hypothetical dialogues between figures real and imaginary, dead and living, and intersperses them with poems and short musings. But when a friend tells Cyrus about the Brooklyn Museum installation “DEATH-SPEAK,” which has terminally ill Iranian artist Orkideh living out her last days in public, he spies an opportunity to move the work beyond theory and into the physical realm. So he flies to New York City with his best friend (and occasional f**kbuddy), bartender Zee Novak, and visits Orkideh every day until the installation’s/artist’s end.

This is a wildly original but unruly novel with a few problems. One: Akbar has clung too obviously to his own story and manner of speaking with Cyrus (e.g., “I honestly actually do worry about that, no joke. Being a young Iranian man making a book about martyrdom, going around talking to people about becoming a martyr. It’s not inert, you know?”). Another is that the poems, and poetic descriptions, are much the best material. The only exception might be a zany scene where Zee and Cyrus chop wood while high. But the main issue I had is that the plot turns on a twist 50 pages from the end, a huge coincidence that feels unearned. I admire the ambition Akbar had for this – a seething, open-hearted enquiry into addiction, love, suicide and queerness – but look forward to him getting back to poetry.