Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

Martyr!

Author: Kaveh Akbar

Genre: Fiction

Publish Date: December 2024

Read: December 2025

Story Synopsis: Cyrus is a hot mess: trying to manage his recovery and feeling alone in the world.seeking community. In his exploration of himself, he looks to his past: his mother dead from a senseless accident, his father dead from alcohol and overwork, and the ways people martyr themselves to give meaning to life.

Why does this book beguile? I did not love this book. Cyrus comes off as a whiny victim with a woe-is-me attitude. He’s one of those people who superficially does the right things but is still a mess and it’s because he doesn’t work to fix his mentality. Other characters in the book are emotionally mature and try to help Cyrus - and eventually Cyrus grows and evolves. The beginning of the book slows things down so much that it’s off-putting.

I know this book got a lot of hype for its intersectionality and representation of real people and real life - which is great and important. However, Cyrus simply seems like one of those characters whose friends lament his choices behind his back and wish their friend could get it together.

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