Martyr!

by Kaveh Akbar · 2024

Martyr! follows Cyrus Shams, a newly sober, orphaned son of Iranian immigrants, as he navigates grief, addiction, and the search for meaning. Guided by the voices of artists, poets, and kings, Cyrus delves into his family’s tragic past—a mother lost in the 1988 downing of Iran Air Flight 655 and a father who toiled in a factory farm—while confronting his own obsession with martyrdom. His quest leads him to a terminally ill painter in the Brooklyn Museum, intertwining personal history with art, faith, and the lingering pull of cultural identity. The novel is a lyrical, darkly comic meditation on loss, recovery, and the ways we seek purpose through stories of sacrifice.