I hate going into a new year with an unfinished read, so I have to thank Kaveh Akbar for creating something that inspired me to engage my “Do not leave this sofa until this story is over” mode.
“Martyr!” is that good.
Of course, my last reading jag was aided by the fact I had stumbled into the part of the book where most readers will say to themselves, “OMG, Orkideh is either X or X.” And you are not going to be able to complete anything else in your life until you find out.
Some reviewer context for you. One — Akbar currently lives in Iowa City which is code to me for “great writer.” So, on top of the fact this book has appeared on scores of “best of” lists, that was one of many reasons I felt safe picking this book up off the table at Galena Book and Paper as my weekend trip bookshop souvenir. Two — it was Election Eve weekend when I bought this, having a sneaking suspicion I was going to need a strong distraction, which was only overshadowed by an urgent need to read about the things I should not worry about. And that turned out to be fortuitous because having one foot still firmly set in stoic thinking colored my perspective in all the right ways reading Akbar’s story of Cyrus, a 20-something alcoholic orphan, trying to come to terms with all the wrongs the universe has brought upon him.
Cyrus is an Iranian-born but Indiana-bred maybe wannabe poet, having played the grief card to finish up his university degree and making a few bucks here and there as an actor for a local med school. Trying to make sense of what he feels is ultimately senseless — his life — his friends encourage him to pursue his interest in writing about martyrs by visiting what could be considered a present-day one, showcasing her end stage breast cancer as part of a piece of performance art at a museum in Brooklyn.
When you are a professional at emotional detachment … why not? Cyrus takes off with his roommate Zee for a rendezvous with fate.
There are so many layers to this novel, I’m not even sure where to begin.
- Misunderstood artists
- Struggling with sobriety
- Parental loss in childhood
- Someone else has the craziest dreams too!
- Unrequited love
- Paths chosen with painful consequence
As I mentioned, having just read a how-to manual of sorts on stoicism, it was easier to lean into the theme of only being able to control what you can control — yourself and your actions. (I see you, Gabe.) For all life has brought and wrought on Cyrus, I believe the goal for me was to see him achieve some kind of understanding that living in the moment can be as liberating as the death he thinks he seeks.
And fear not, those reading this thinking, “‘Martyr!’ sounds like a downer and that’s the last thing I need now” — the final chapters are a testament to faith in ourselves, the people we love and humanity in general. It was truly a joyful read on this last day of December, heading into who knows what next month. All commentary aside, this is a most beautifully constructed novel with sentences I will go back to for days and weeks and months. Akbar puts his poetry chops to work and we are all the better for it.
I have yet to read “James” so it’s impossible to say whether or not “Martyr!” has been shafted when it comes to topping any “best of” lists, but for me, this was absolutely one of the best books of the year. Do not pass this up.
LitzyDitz 
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