Martyr!: A Novel by Kaveh Akbar (2024): A Review

Title: Martyr!: A Novel

Author: Kaveh Akbar

Publication Year: 2024

Pages: 331

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Genre: Queer, Literary fiction,

Awards: Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2024, A New York Times bestseller,

Source: Audiobook @everand_us


Martyr! is a touching story of a queer Iranian-American poet grappling with profound depression and addiction while navigating the aftermath of his parents’ deaths decades apart. What sets this book apart is the deep connection I felt with the protagonist due to his Iranian roots. As an Iranian, I often shy away from novels about my homeland because of the painful familiarity of those stories. The anguish they depict is frequently too raw, especially when it resonates with my own experiences. I have only second-hand witness to most of those historical events mentioned or experienced in the book.

Initially, picking up this book felt like a mistake; it seemed too painful, as if it forced me to confront the darkest aspects of existence for myself and others in my community. However, it surpassed my expectations. The narrative is harrowing and filled with loss—dead parents, an uncle struggling with PTSD, the poet battling addiction and depression, and a dying artist that was too intertwined in the story of the characters. Each twist felt like a punch to the gut. I cannot shake the haunting image of Cyrus’ uncle on the battlefield, shrouded in a black robe and wielding a sword atop a horse. The turmoil I experienced was overwhelming, and I might have put the book down under normal circumstances. But the writing was so compelling that I found myself reliving those historical and traumatic experiences vicariously alongside each character.

While some struggles can be seen as universal, the specific traumas shared within this narrative resonate on a personal level, layered with meaning that only those familiar with that particular history, experience, and context can truly understand.


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