Kaveh Akbar’s debut novel, “Martyr!” is about a man who wants to die.
When we first meet the protagonist, Cyrus Shams, he is an alcoholic and a drug addict, staring at the ceiling light above his mattress and willing it to blink a sign from God. He wants a signal, some clear or even foggy indication that he should finally get his act together.
Fast-forward several years, and Cyrus is sober, but he remains despondent and suicidal. An Iranian-American poet, like the author, Cyrus never knew his mother, who died in 1988 when the U.S. Navy shot down an Iranian passenger plane, killing everyone onboard. Shortly after leaving home for college, Cyrus also loses his father, and his focus on death leads him to an interest in martyrdom. He wonders what drives people to sacrifice their lives for a cause.
His research leads him to an art museum in Brooklyn, where a woman with terminal cancer has decided to turn her death into performance art. Cyrus meets the artist and spends time with his friend Zee in New York, and he grapples with his feelings of gloom and despair.
For a book with such heavy topics, “Martyr!” is surprisingly funny and sweet. That speaks to Akbar’s skill with language, and his talent for getting to the heart of his characters. It’s a breathtaking, layered exploration of what it means to live well, die with honor and appreciate the journey.
A fantastic debut.
