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Martyr!
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
Kaveh Akbars Martyr! is a paean to how we spend our lives seeking meaningin faith, art, ourselves, othersin which a newly sober, orphaned son of Iranian immigrants, guided by the voices of artists, poets, and kings, embarks on a search that leads him to a terminally ill painter living out her final days in the Brooklyn Museum. The best novel you'll ever read about the joy of language, addiction, displacement, martyrdom, belonging, homesickness. Lauren Groff, best-selling author of Matrix and Fates and Furies Cyrus Shams is a young man grappling with an inheritance of violence and loss: his mothers plane was shot down over the skies of Tehran in a senseless accident; and his fathers life in America was circumscribed by his work killing chickens at a factory farm in the Midwest. Cyrus is a drunk, an addict, and a poet, whose obsession with martyrs leads him to examine the mysteries of his pasttoward an uncle who rode through Iranian battlefields dressed as the Angel of death to inspire and comfort the dying, and toward his mother, through a painting discovered in a Brooklyn art gallery that suggests she may not have been who or what she seemed. Electrifying, funny, wholly original, and profound, Martyr! heralds the arrival of a blazing and essential new voice in contemporary fiction.
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review
rachaich
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Pickpick

What an intense and different novel, exploring art, the world, love and the life death continuum.
I found it tough at times in it's bleak honesty but alongside that, such gorgeous writing.
Will remain with me.

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britt_brooke
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Because of how his mother died, Cyrus becomes obsessed with the concept of dying a meaningful death. Or perhaps, with living a meaningful life. A clever and introspective study of grief. Full circle creativity, and flawless execution, lead to its much-deserved critical acclaim. Wholly unique. I loved it!

BarbaraBB Glad you did! 1w
Trashcanman 👋👋👋👋👀 1w
britt_brooke @Trashcanman Heyyyy!! Good to see you here! 1w
87 likes3 stack adds4 comments
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BarbaraBB
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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#LitsyToB25 Martyr! is our winner today. Only Tracy, Holly and Theresa voted for Rejection. Short stories and the tournament aren‘t always a good match.
And we do agree with the #ToB25 judgment today so in both tournaments we‘ll see Martyr! continue.

See All 20 Comments
Chelsea.Poole I really, really enjoyed Rejection…and I‘m normally not into short stories. But Martyr took hold of me in a much more intense way, so I had to vote for it! 3w
Suet624 I‘m so happy!! 3w
Bookwormjillk Another set I didn‘t get to, but Matyr! is high on my list since @Butterfinger ‘s glowing review. 3w
BarbaraBB @Chelsea.Poole I remember that you liked it so much. Too bad it met Martyr! that soon in the tournament 3w
Lesliereadsalot Now I have to get to Martyr!! 3w
Well-ReadNeck I may need to re-read Martyr! it might hit different at a different time, but I just thought it was 👍🏼, not really 🤯Rejection made me feel sooooooo uncomfortable in all the best ways. I did listen on audio which I think may have enhanced it for me since tone is so important to that one. Voted the other way, but not disappointed here. 3w
Well-ReadNeck For those of you who may not have made it that far, the final story in Rejection ties it all together in the absolutely best (and funniest) way 3w
Megabooks I love short stories, but I was not a fan of rejection. Glad to see Martyr move on! 3w
fredthemoose Ugh—I didn‘t necessarily love Rejection, but Martyr! was my least favorite of this year‘s list. Just did not like or care about the MC at all. 😝 Glad others liked it more. (edited) 3w
ChaoticMissAdventures I liked both of these, hate it when that happens, but I loved Martyr! the writing was so sharp about addiction. Glad to see it move on. 3w
Hooked_on_books I‘m unsurprised given the accolades Martyr has earned. Like @fredthemoose , I struggled with the MC. I also didn‘t like the big reveal of who the female artist was. For me it was a bit silly. And I thought Rejection was great in a disturbing way. I feel like the author had a good time writing it and that came through. 3w
Butterfinger Martyr was my favorite. I thought it was very relatable. It brought to light things that I never learned. 3w
Jas16 I could not even finish Rejection so Martyr easily got my vote. 3w
sarahbarnes I still want to read Martyr at some point! 3w
GatheringBooks I voted for Martyr which is keeping me up for several nights now - I knew 100 pages in that this was my choice. 3w
kwmg40 I'd read the first story in Rejection and never got back to it. I really liked Martyr! so it was an easy decision for me. 3w
cariashley Pleased with this outcome! 3w
62 likes20 comments
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ChrisBohjalian
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Yes, I loved this novel.

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Butterfinger
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Pickpick

The smartest, most creative, most real book I have read in a very long time. Don't worry about death. Sacrifice yourself to life. Cyrus will always be a part of my heart. The way Akbar wrote about historical martyrs through poetry was ingenious. Cyrus's dreams were beautiful and added so much to Cyrus's quest. It made me ashamed of being American (not owning up to killing 278 Iranian people), but there is hope. You just can't quit searching.

BarbaraBB Great review. 1mo
Butterfinger @BarbaraBB thank you. 1mo
Leftcoastzen Love your review!I haven‘t read it yet, there seems to be lots of mixed reviews & bails . Glad to see a positive take! 1mo
Amor4Libros Your review makes me want to bump this up on my TBR! 1mo
50 likes5 comments
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fredthemoose
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Mehso-so

⭐️⭐️💫 Unpopular opinion, but I didn‘t connect with this at all. Found the MC self absorbed and as a result just didn‘t really care about his obsession with martyrdom or any of the side stories from the other characters. I kept thinking “I don‘t care!” to myself and bumping up the playback speed to get it over sooner. Glad others enjoyed it more than I did! #ToB25

CallMeIshmael I agree I DNF‘d this one for the same reasons 1mo
AmyG Well, I feel validated. I just put this down to read something else and struggling to pick it back up. May just bail. 1mo
fredthemoose @CallMeIshmael @AmyG yeah… this one just didn‘t give me enough (any?) reasons to like and root for the main character before wanting me to go on a whole journey about him, and it just didn‘t work. 1mo
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kwmg40
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Pickpick

This is among my favourites of the #ToB25 books I've read so far. The writing is beautiful, there were interesting and unexpected twists, and I spent some time mulling over the ending. Looking forward to the #LitsyToB discussion.

#gottacatchemall (Emolga: yellow cover) @PuddleJumper

Butterfinger I started it today. I think it will also be one of my favorites. 1mo
BarbaraBB I liked this one too and think it stands out on the #ToB shortlist. 1mo
squirrelbrain I agree with @BarbaraBB ! 1mo
Suet624 I liked this one so much. 1mo
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Hanna-B
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
Pickpick

Bloody brilliant, magic, whimsical. He has a powerful and unique voice, will definitely reread because it has so much content and subtle beauty, existential questions and more. Anyone else read this? Would love to hear your thoughts #martyr #kavehakbar #brilliantbook

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plemmdog
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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I am enjoying this so much—my first big read of 2024.

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ImperfectCJ
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Pickpick

There's not a lot I can say about this one without giving spoilers, but I can say that I really appreciate how it's written, and I'm looking forward to discussing the ending with my book club. It's not my favorite from the #tob25 shortlist, but I do like it.

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cariashley
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Pickpick

This was excellent. Happy to finally be pleased with a #tob25 entry after a couple letdowns in a row! It‘s cleverly pulled together and the writing is beautiful (would expect nothing less from a poet author).

BarbaraBB I liked this one too! 2mo
Megabooks Yes very good! Really enjoyed the way he plotted it out. 2mo
61 likes2 comments
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Flaneurette
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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So depressing to go back to subzero temps today. I will miss the sun 🌞. 📸: San Jose del Cabo MX

TheSpineView Looks lovely! 3mo
AmyG Beautiful! 3mo
Soubhiville Wow, so pretty! 3mo
BarbaraBB How beautiful 😍. 3mo
tpixie It‘s hard to be a flaneurette in this weather! ❄️🩵❄️ 3mo
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DyAnne
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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First day of winter quarter should be acknowledged with a trip to the bookstore.

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jenniferw88
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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For those doing #ToB, Martyr is 99p at the moment!

@BarbaraBB

BarbaraBB Thank you Jenny for this thoughtful post! 💚 3mo
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HettyG
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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58 total books read, my top five fiction for 2024 is pictured. I feel like I read a lot of books but was only truly in love with very few! Anyway, cheers Litsers!! 🍻

Texreader Wonderful!!! 3mo
TheBookgeekFrau I loved A Year of Wonders! And, I'm not sure if love is the right word for The Dinner lol, but almost 8 years later I find myself still thinking about it. 3mo
HettyG @TheBookgeekFrau I feel the same way about The Dinner!!!! It was just fascinating, I could not put it down, could not stop thinking about it, joined a new book club so I could talk about it with others.... it just had to make the list for those reasons even if it is such a dark dark novel! 3mo
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Erinreadsthebooks
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Akbar‘s writing is really something special! 🌟🏅

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Erinreadsthebooks
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Pickpick

Wowza, the writing. Some chapters were absolutely magical and others, I wasn‘t even sure they needed to be there (but they do, and people smarter than me will relish in them). What a way to end my 2024 reading! Glad I stuck with this one.

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Nathan_Opland-Dobs
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Pickpick

🗡️

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notreallyelaine
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar

In the animal world, a broken leg meant you starved, so a healed femur meant that some human had supported another's long recovery, fed them, cleaned the wound. And thus, the author argued, began civilization. Augured not by an instrument of murder, but by a fracture bound, a bit of food brought back for another.

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ChaoticMissAdventures
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Pickpick

And this is why I cannot make my best of list until Jan 1!! I loved this, the writing is wonderfully poetic, I need to buy a copy so I can mark it up, I wanted to highlight so many lines and paragraphs. I loved all of the characters. Cyrus was a mess but he was an endearing mess.
This has been on so many best of lists and it deserves all the praise it is getting. I loved this

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ChaoticMissAdventures
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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#weeklyforecast

I am so close to finishing Martyr! I am loving it, have less than 100 pgs and it was due back yesterday so hoping to finish today.

I am 20% into We Could Be Rats the new Emily Austin and I am not loving it as much as Fact About Space but will push on.

Want to get to Poor DEER bc Empires both are due back this weekend and so many people are waiting!

My audio for my walks is Worst Hard Time by Egan about the American dust bowl

squirrelbrain Some great reads there! 3mo
sarahbarnes A good set of books! I also have Poor Deer in my library stack and am trying to get to it! 3mo
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ChaoticMissAdventures
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Persian Mirror Art
"I think about this a lot Cyrus. These centuries of Persians trying to copy the Egyptian vanity, really their self reflection. How it arrived to us in shards. How we had to look at ourselves in these broken fragments, and how those mirror tiles found themselves in all these mosques, the tile work, these ornate mosaics. How those spaces made the fractured glimpses of ourselves near sacred."

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ChaoticMissAdventures
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Akbar has an amazing use of words. The way he lays out and describes Cyrus' descent into alcoholism is heartbreaking, gorgeous and understandable.

"But Cyrus's true love, his bedrock, his soulmate, was alcohol. Alcohol was faithful, omnipresent, predictable. Alcohol didn't demand monogamy like opiates or meth. Alcohol demanded only that you came back home to it at the end of the night."

Suet624 I agree with you. 3mo
29 likes1 comment
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Pedrocamacho
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Pickpick

Martyr! is an absolute pleasure to read. Cyrus‘ struggle with his identity and history makes for truly compelling reading 😊

BkClubCare In my top ten for 2024 🌟 3mo
Pedrocamacho Totally agree, @BkClubCare! 3mo
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Larkken
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Recently found quote in my camera roll ❤️

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quietlycuriouskate
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Pickpick

I know of KA primarily as a poet: always creative, always interesting, sometimes very moving, sometimes just plain baffling. This book was all of those things by turn. Or all at once.
Cyrus is colossally self-absorbed, but is aware of the fact. I wanted good things to happen for him.
Structurally, I'm not entirely convinced it worked, but KA makes for a dazzling, rhapsodic novelist. I enjoyed his book very much.

quietlycuriouskate Why the exclamation mark in the title, though? He's not Clive Cussler! 5mo
Tamra Spot on! Execution could have been tighter, but the substance & creativity is engaging. 5mo
Tamra @quietlycuriouskate re: exclamation point - I read or heard in an interview it was to lighten up the subject and/or reader expectations. To reflect that there is humor and love, etc. (edited) 5mo
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quietlycuriouskate @Tamra Ah, thank you. His intention backfired on me then! I found humour and love in the book, for sure; just not in the choice of punctuation. 5mo
Tamra @quietlycuriouskate I wondered the same. Seems an odd choice. Now I wonder if it was the publisher‘s decision or his. 5mo
Suet624 I wanted good things to happen to him too. ❤️ 5mo
sarahbarnes Great review! Looking forward to this one. I‘m in line for it at the library. 5mo
36 likes7 comments
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Tamra
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Pickpick

I‘m going to be thinking about this one because there is a lot to chew on.

Is this a perfect novel? Nope, in fact there are elements I don‘t appreciate and frankly I‘ve read better debut novels. However Kaveh has a very distinctive creative voice that isn‘t forgettable. This won‘t be a spine on the shelf I‘ll wonder whether I‘ve read.

RidgewayGirl I don‘t have quite as many passages marked out by Post-Its, but this is definitely a book I‘m glad to have my own copy of. 5mo
Tamra @RidgewayGirl 😄 I tabbed because I read it as part of a group read. 5mo
63 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Tamra
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Matchy today! 🙃 Loving this novel, so witty & insightful. Perhaps a bit self indulgent, but forgivable.

Guffawing at the wholly pathological superficial “politeness” of Midwesterners, which apparently is akin to Iranian etiquette, and describing his rich girlfriend as “American Christian, the kind that believed Jesus had just needed a bigger gun.”

Suet624 I‘m so happy to have read this. It might deserve a reread. 6mo
Cathythoughts I must try a sample 👍🏻❤️ 6mo
quietlycuriouskate I'm enjoying reading this at the moment, too! 😃 6mo
See All 9 Comments
sarahbarnes This one is on my list! Sounds like I might need to bump it up. 6mo
Tamra @Suet624 there definitely is enough substance for a reread. 6mo
Tamra @Cathythoughts it is very postmodern like in the mashup of new (current pop culture) and old (historical martyrs). 6mo
Tamra @quietlycuriouskate it gets better & better! I like Cyrus‘ questioning of his motives & character. 6mo
Tamra @sarahbarnes it‘s probably not for everyone, but I‘m liking it and I‘m rather surprised. I didn‘t know much about it before starting. 6mo
sarahbarnes I‘ve got myself in line for it at the library - excited to try it! 6mo
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charl08
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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"I just think about that a lot. The ugliness of anger. I don't disagree that it can be harnessed. But it's so irredeemably ugly."

"You're a human being, Cyrus," Sang said, gently. "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. We're people. We get mad, we get cowardly. Ugly. We self-obsess."

Suet624 Such a good book. 6mo
charl08 @Suet624 yes. But the ending!?! What? 6mo
Suet624 Hahaha. I actually went on Reddit at one point because of the ending - just to see people's thoughts. For some reason I was fine with the ending, whereas I hated Bee Sting's ending. However, they are both ambiguous. 🙄 6mo
charl08 @Suet624 I never thought of reddit for a book ending. Did most approve? 6mo
37 likes4 comments
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Tamra
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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I‘m happy to be sent to my room. 😊

Jeg As a kid I always was too. 6mo
Tamra @Jeg 🙌🏾 6mo
48 likes2 comments
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charl08
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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"Can you imagine just losing access to all the art that you most loved, to all the stuff that gave your living purpose? Purpose and fluency? ..... "Imagine all that stuff disappearing," Kareem continued "Literally going up in smoke...."

"Then imagine," Kareem said, "that a bunch of people who'd never met you, for whom you're just a myth, began sending you the art you loved.... Imagine how that might contribute to your sense of amongness.

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charl08
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Addiction is an old country song: you lose the dog, lose the truck, lose the high school sweetheart.

In recovery you play the song backward, and that's where things get interesting. Where'd you find the truck? Did the dog remember you? What'd your sweetheart say when they saw you again

Tamra Currently reading this - such creative energy! It‘s nearly buzzing in my hands. 6mo
charl08 @Tamra I love that description. I usually take photos where I think I might want a quote: could photo almost every page here. 6mo
Tamra @charl08 yes! 6mo
See All 6 Comments
charl08 @Tamra what did you think? 6mo
Tamra @charl08 I haven‘t finished yet - doing a month read along with Stalking Kafka (YouTube). I‘m really liking it so far! I‘m having to look up martyrs to learn their backstories! 6mo
charl08 @tamra what a great idea - would love to hear more. 6mo
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charl08
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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He wanted to be on the right side of history, whatever that Was. But more than that (he admitted this to himself when he was practicing being rigorously honest), he wanted other people to perceive him as someone who cared about being on the right side of history.

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HeatherBookNerd
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Pickpick

Cyrus is a young man who was born in Iran but grew up in the United States. He is a poet, an orphan, a recovering addict, and has a consuming fascination with death and martyrdom. And while that seems a potentially depressing read, it is surprisingly freeing to see how Akbar addresses so many heavy issues in engaging and enlightening ways. Akbar‘s prose is just exquisite; so many passages just left me dazzled. Such unique, affecting storytelling.

janeycanuck He was a guest on CBC‘s Bookends podcast a few weeks ago. It was a very interesting listen! 6mo
HeatherBookNerd @janeycanuck I‘ll have to look for that. 6mo
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Leniverse
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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President Invective! ? No need to know in what year this is set in order to figure out who the President is.

"The sort of man whose unwavering assertions of his own genius competence had, to the American public, apparently overwhelmed all observable evidence to the contrary."

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Kshakal
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Eggs 💛🖤💛 7mo
33 likes1 comment
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BkClubCare
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Pickpick

Deftly written, brilliantly plotted, tenderly wrought.

Don‘t ya love a book that puts your heart through a wringer and confuses you, challenges you, makes you trust the journey anyway, then delivers with a sweet tug?

#Book58_2024 #NoIdeaWhyIReadThisNow #JoslynCastleOmNE

BkClubCare Uh, apparently I have forgotten this is #campLitsy24?!?! 8mo
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Leniverse
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Library holds came in. I'm very excited to read all of these, but slightly inconvenienced that none of them are on the Booker longlist 😆 Another busy reading month ahead, clearly.

BarbaraBB Martyr! is very good but I know what you mean about the Booker 😀 (edited) 8mo
vivastory I really liked Open Throat & have the other 2 posted currently checked out from the library 8mo
Leniverse @vivastory Open Throat looks like it will be a quick read at least. Because as usual I have so many books and not enough hours in the day 😅 8mo
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vivastory This is the struggle 😂 8mo
Hooked_on_books I love that your library is inconveniencing you. 😂 8mo
LeeRHarry Glorious Exploits is definitely on my radar. 8mo
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BkClubCare
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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“… can‘t you feel this mattering? Right now?”

It matters to me. Know that. It matters deeply.”

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BkClubCare
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Copper finally working with me as photographer 🤣😎📸🐶❤️📚 Just starting this and I know absolutely nothing. Don‘t tell me!

#DogsofLitsy #CopperBopper #WirehairedPointingGriffon #whpg #Griff4short #librarybook #hardcover

dabbe #cuteycopper 🖤🐾🖤 8mo
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Suet624
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Pickpick

Cyrus, newly sober, is trying to find a reason to live and decides to write a book about martyrs. He is numb. He is depressed. His mother was killed when her plane was blown up by the US. His father died as soon as Cyrus went to college, having completed his fatherly tasks. His uncle was a death angel who rode a horse among dying men in the Iran war. And then he meets a dying artist who is sitting in a museum as she dies. These characters 🔽

Suet624 All are so vivid to me. The author spends a bit of time talking about what life is like after drinking and each time I was moved to tears. I‘ve never read someone describe it so accurately. I felt seen. This book isn‘t for everyone but I loved it. 9mo
BarbaraBB Fantastic review Sue! 9mo
Cathythoughts Great review 👍🏻❤️ I have it stacked. Must get to it. 9mo
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youneverarrived This is high on my tbr. Great review. 9mo
Suet624 @BarbaraBB Thanks, Barbara. 9mo
Suet624 @Cathythoughts @youneverarrived I hope you like it as much as I did. 9mo
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Megabooks
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Pickpick

This wasn‘t as strong a pick for me as it was for some Littens. I liked Cyrus‘ evolution, but the dream sequences got annoying.

Iranian Cyrus‘ mother‘s plane was accidentally shot down by a US battleship when he was a baby. He and his father immigrate to Indiana where he lives as a typical kid. Newly orphaned, sober, and suicidal in his 20s, he begins to explore and write a book about martyrdom. Yes, it‘s pretty heavy.

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thereflectiveflaneur
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Pickpick

Wow, wow, and more WOW! Not since Decima by Venter Even or Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner have I been so gripped by a novel and protagonist! This book is amazing! Found myself re reading chapters to enjoy the prose again!

BarbaraBB Great review! 9mo
Suet624 I agree! 9mo
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Suet624
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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I keep thinking about this quote.

Leftcoastzen I think I need to read this! 9mo
TheBookHippie 💯 9mo
Ruthiella True! 9mo
Texreader It‘s a good point! 9mo
Suet624 @Leftcoastzen I got bogged down in the middle but it‘s really picking up and packing a punch. 9mo
45 likes5 comments
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BarbaraBB
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Pickpick

Cyrus is born in Iran but after his mother dies in a plane crash he and his father move to the US.
He beats alcoholism but life in sobriety still is challenging. Until he comes up with the idea to write a book about martyrdom. That changes everything.

The style reminded me a bit of Rushdie and I grew really fond of Cyrus. #CampToB

quietlycuriouskate It's interesting he's written a novel. I've read two poetry collections of his, one I really liked but the other... hmmm, not so much. 🤔 9mo
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Suet624
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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I‘m only on page 22 and I already love this book. The main character is talking about life after you stop drinking and yowzer I am with him on this one.

Is life better without alcohol? Well….yes. But life sure is different and sometimes I wonder if it‘s worth going without.

It‘s been almost 15 years since I had alcohol and I‘m definitely not as joyful and I‘m also definitely not as depressed. So there‘s that. 🙂

Jeg I‘m with you on that. Though it still feels odd when I‘m asked how much alcohol I drink in a week and I say none. I never thought I‘d be that person. 9mo
Suet624 @Jeg right? I loved alcohol. I never ever thought I‘d be that person who didn‘t drink. 9mo
BarbaraBB I am reading this book too now! It reminds me of Salman Rushdie and 50 pages in, I am loving it too. Interesting what you say about alcohol. I wish I could be the one not drinking and I am sure if I did I‘d feel the same way you do, wondering if it‘s worth it. Still I envy you because I am just to weak to don‘t drink. And you too @Jeg 🤩🤍 9mo
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sarahbarnes This is on my TBR, too. Glad to see you‘re loving it so far. Appreciate your thoughts on alcohol, too. Thanks for sharing them. 9mo
Suet624 @BarbaraBB @Jeg I tried for years to quit. I embarrassed myself with my drinking often enough that I carried both shame and desire (more alcohol please!). People still talk about how much they enjoyed being with me when I was drinking. It literally took a divine miracle one morning for me to release my desire to drink. After 41 years of drinking I was finally free of what had run my life. 9mo
Suet624 @BarbaraBB AND! how great that we‘re reading the same book! 9mo
Suet624 @sarahbarnes thank you. 💕 9mo
BarbaraBB That is such an achievement. I admire you and hope I will come upon that divine miracle one day too but I somehow doubt it. I don‘t drink as much beer as when I was young but I love my glass of wine. I try to not drink on weekdays but make up for that in the weekends 🤦🏻‍♀️ (edited) 9mo
Suet624 @BarbaraBB Hey! Good for you for trying to not drink on the weekdays! 9mo
squirrelbrain I loved this book! ❤️ I can take or leave alcohol, and don‘t drink a lot at all. I don‘t even like a lot of it, but work for a distillery. 🤦‍♀️ 9mo
Suet624 That‘s amazing that you work for a distillery but don‘t care one way or another about alcohol. That was like when I worked at Burton Snowboards but didn‘t snowboard or ski. At the time they frowned upon hiring non-snowboarders but decided I was worth the exception. 🤷🏻‍♀️😂 9mo
CBee @Suet624 I think I should give this book a try, I‘m so intrigued! I, too, was way more “fun” when I drank. Alcoholism and addiction run in my family and I had trouble stopping once I started….. I quit years and years ago and don‘t miss it. I have to admit I miss the “fun” sometimes - it took away so much of my worry and boosted my confidence. Ultimately not worth it though 🤷‍♀️😕 9mo
Suet624 @CBee Everything you've said is the exact same situation for me. The author doesn't talk a lot about being sober in the book but when he does it packs such a punch. In particular, there is a paragraph near the end of the book where he outlines so specifically what life is like when you are sober after a life of drinking. I unexpectedly burst into tears when I read it. I've never heard anyone describe it the way he did and it was so true. 9mo
CBee @Suet624 I‘ll definitely have to read it! 9mo
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review
kbuggle
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Pickpick

The audio version of this one is narrated so well. It took a while for the plot and story to come around for me, but when the pieces started to finally come together, I can see why so many literary folks adore this

thereflectiveflaneur I agree! The audiobook is wonderful! 9mo
10 likes1 comment
blurb
BarbaraBB
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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#WeeklyForecast 28/24

I am starting The Alternatives for #CampLitsy24 because I‘ve got a borrowed copy. Thirst for Salt is a gift by Cindy and seems totally in my wheelhouse. Martyr! is a #CampToB book and has had such raving reviews on Litsy that I had to add it to my TBR.

sarahbarnes I liked Thirst for Salt! Martyr is on my TBR too - I‘ll look forward to your thoughts on it. 9mo
TrishB All look good 👍🏻 9mo
squirrelbrain I loved Martyr! - hopefully you will do too. Looking forward to gearing your thoughts on The Alternatives. 9mo
BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain I am halfway through now and it‘s good! 9mo
60 likes4 comments
review
MysticFaerie
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Pickpick

5🌟/5🌟

review
squirrelbrain
Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar
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Pickpick

On the face of it, the blurb of this book made me think I wouldn‘t like it, but I was also weirdly drawn to it. I thought, as it‘s a library book, I could bail (me, bail?! Ha!) but I ended up loving it.

The MC, Cyrus, is a recovering alcoholic who decides to write a book about martyrs and spends time talking to an artist whose last installation is her dying days in the Brooklyn Museum. I loved Cyrus, despite and because of all his weirdness. ❤️

Ruthiella Nice review! I also want to read this one, though I‘m not sure why. 😂 11mo
TrishB Great review 👍🏻 11mo
squirrelbrain I think you‘d both really like it @Ruthiella @TrishB 11mo
See All 6 Comments
sarahbarnes I have this one on my TBR - very glad to see you liked it! 11mo
BarbaraBB Such a great and intriguing review. I now definitely want to read it (have been on the fence about it). 11mo
squirrelbrain Definitely one for both of you @sarahbarnes @BarbaraBB ! 11mo
82 likes2 stack adds6 comments