Cyrus Shams is a recovering alcoholic and addict. He is also a poet, who uses his verses to try to make sense of a lifetime spent grieving and searching for meaning. His mother Roya's plane was shot down in a senseless accident when he was just a baby, and his father, Ali, died miserable and alone after decades of thankless menial labour. His mother was an unwitting martyr for a country obsessed with noble sacrifice; his father gave up everything he knew in the hope of giving his son a better future. Cyrus decides to pen a book of poetry dedicated to the men and women who gave their lives for a cause, all the while pondering what the point of his own life is and whether it is worth prolonging.

Martyr! is that rare debut which brings something completely novel to the literary canon. An interview I read with author Kaveh Akbar illuminates what he believes to be his responsibility as an author:
'The reader is giving me the gift of their time and therefore deserves light, which doesn’t mean wacky punchlines and rainbows, but an encounter with language that surprises them. Things they wouldn’t be expecting to see in a piece of literary fiction, like long dialogues with Lisa Simpson, or Rumi smoking a blunt outside of a hardcore show. The contract, as Horace has situated it, says that in exchange for your most finite resource, I will give you a measure of delight and instruction. I take that intensely seriously.'

This quote makes Akbar's intention for his novel clear, yet without the talent and unique voice to back it up, the unusual blend of pathos, dark humour, history and surrealism would fall flat. As it is, the prose is often as poetic as the examples of Cyrus' verse the reader is privy to. The characters feel larger than life but realistic at the same time; even very minor players such as Cyrus' AA sponsor or his father's chicken farm colleagues are embued with specific traits not normally afforded to characters with scarcely any page time.

Cyrus is a fascinating, complicated character in his own right, and also a vessel through which we can examine the concept of martyrdom which transfixes him, and the struggle of being Iranian in America - the nation which was responsible for his mother's death but which was never held accountable. I knew little about Iranian history or about the relationship between Iran and the US going into the book, and I was shocked to realise that Cyrus' mother's fate is based on a real-life incident in which 290 people were killed when their passenger jet was mistakenly shot down by the US navy over the Strait of Hormuz. Akbar takes the stark fact of their deaths and humanises it through the stories of Roya, Ali and Cyrus, whilst pointing out the disparity in how the incident was received in the two nations involved: ignored, dismissed and minimised in the US, and politicised and used as propaganda in Iran. Reading Martyr! in the aftermath of American Airlines Flight 5342 makes it all the more devastating.

Roya, who we learn was a dissatisfied wife and mother, is remembered as perfect because of the manner of her death. For Cyrus, being spared has left him with a lingering sense of responsibility to make his living worthwhile. Akbar, however, does not set out to tell a story of redemption and realised potential. If this were uncertain, he gives voice to this thought through an exchange between Cyrus and Orkideh, the dying artist whose last exhibition finally gives him some direction, whilst telling him that he does need to have identified some lofty purpose in order for his life to be worth living:
You're a human being, Cyrus... So was your mother. So am I. Not cartoon characters. There's no pressure for us to be ethically pure, noble. Or, God forbid, aspirational.

Cyrus is a purposeless, selfish parcel of bitterness and self-pity for much of the novel, his life an unromantic portrait of addiction and recovery, in which sobriety is not the happy ending it is often purported to be. (Akbar himself has been sober ten years, and the authenticity of his experience rings through.) I was captivated by Akbar's depiction of what it was like to be visibly Middle Eastern in a post-9/11 America; he evokes W.E.B. DuBois' notion of double consciousness as he describes how Cyrus' father would ban Cyrus from speaking Farsi at home, yet would do a six hour round trip to take his son to the only semi-local Persian restaurant, and how Cyrus would find himself paralysed by a double whammy of Iranian and Midwestern politeness, laughing along at micro aggressions and overt racism from his corn-fed white peers.

The tone of the book is unapologetically political - one of the surreal vignettes with which Cyrus tries to lull himself to sleep features a ridiculous 'President Invective' who is barely thinly-veiled enough for Akbar to maintain a wide-eyed denial at any suggestion that this pompous fool bears any likeness to Donald Trump. Indeed, the way in which Martyr! hums with atypical presentations of the masculine and feminine, and celebrates a life in which sexuality can be fluid whilst platforming a story by an immigrant, about an immigrant, could hardly be more of a middle finger to MAGA if it tried.

Martyr! will not be for everyone. Some readers will find the non-linear storytelling confusing or be frustrated by the abrupt tonal shifts and apparently pointless tangents; there is no denying either that Cyrus is an intensely unlikeable protagonist at times. However, for others, Martyr! will be the kind of book they will think on often, recommend to friends and list among their favourite, most thought-provoking reads.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A beautifully written story and a wonderfully personal, unique voice behind the narrative.

Well worth the hype, I cant wait to see what Kaveh Akbar does if this is the debut!

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.