Martyr!

Hardback Published on: 07/03/2024
Price: £16.99
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Bookseller Reviews

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Martyr!
Beautifully written, emotional.
Cyrus's mother was killed when her plane was shot out of the air by the US by mistake. When older he turned to drugs and drink to heal the pain. His father... READ MORE
ENEFCEE 1956
Martyr!
Whimsical Grief. Absolutely Amazing
Firstly, I would like to thank the publishers for sending this book my way. This is a beautiful story that I found so inspiring, and just gave me such a... READ MORE
Jake at Lakeside
Martyr!
A fantastic debut novel and an enjoyable read
Written by a poet, the novel, as you would expect, has beautiful prose and several poems opening the later chapters. On this alone I would encourage you to... READ MORE
Sarah
Martyr!
Original and gorgeous x
People far cleverer than I have reviewed Martyr more thoughtfully than I ever could, so I'll keep it short. Messy, playful, imaginative fiction with a deli... READ MORE
Hannah at Hanley
Martyr!
A mesmerising debut!
Reading Martyr! was such an emotional experience. I found myself completely absorbed in the narrative of Cyrus, our protagonist, and the details of his lif... READ MORE
Claire
Martyr!
A perfect poetic novel
Cyrus' mother died when he was a baby when an Iranian passenger flight was shout out of the sky by a US Navy warship. Now a grown man, living in the Americ... READ MORE
Martha - Trafford
Martyr!
Simply outstanding
Simply outstanding I adored the mixture of poetry and prose, which meant that what you were left with was a smooth but varied reading experience. I fou... READ MORE
Hannah Torres
Martyr!
A terrific debut
I just couldn't put this down, absolutely tore through it and I'm tempted to go back and reread. This is a kunstleroman with a timely and political charge... READ MORE
Archie at Wells
Martyr!
Exquisite
This is such a beautifully written book - even if I hadn't enjoyed the story I'd have continued reading this for the prose alone. Luckily, the story is als... READ MORE
Helen at Scarborough
Martyr!
beautiful, electrifying and messy
A heartbreaking tale about loss, addiction and family inherited trauma of viloence and loss. Martyr! invokes strong emotions surrounding collaborative iden... READ MORE
Ella-Mae at Lewes
Martyr!
Mesmerizing
Martyr! was absolutely mesmerizing. It is so satisfying when an author throws out the rules and writes exactly the story they want to tell. It's a book abo... READ MORE
Lore at Stratford
Martyr!
Stunning
This one was a really surpsising read for me, I found it started slow but once the plot got rolling I absolutely loved it. Cyrus went from being an incredi... READ MORE
Anna at Belfast
Martyr!
Incredibly thought provoking
A heartbreaking tale about loss, addiction & family inherited trauma. An inspiring, poetic tale that deserves all the praise & more. A very dark yet humo... READ MORE
Ella-Mae at Lewes
Martyr!
Insightful and life affirming
This book deftly handles adequately exploring death and life meaning whilst maintaining a light tone, resulting in a life affirming novel that will stay wi... READ MORE
Lauren Marnie

Synopsis

Cyrus Shams is lost.

Ever since his mother’s plane was senselessly shot down over the Persian Gulf when he was just a baby, Cyrus has been grappling with her death. Now, newly sober, he is set to learn the truth of her life.

When an encounter with a dying artist leads Cyrus towards the mysteries of his past - an uncle who rode through Iranian battlefields dressed as an Angel of Death, a haunting work of art by an exiled painter – he finds himself once again caught up in the story of his mother, who may not have been who or what she seemed. As Cyrus searches for meaning in the scattered clues of his life, a final revelation transforms everything he thought he knew.

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Pan Macmillan
  • ISBN: 9781035026067
  • Number of pages: 352
  • Dimensions: 222 x 144 x 30 mm
  • Weight: 450g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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Martyr!
Wildly Refreshing
This was fantastic. A really surprising book. I can honestly say that it defied all my expectations and I loved it. Funny, smart and darkly comical, this i... READ MORE
Katy Wheatley
Martyr!
Great Debut!
Thank you to the publishers for this early review copy. I started this book yesterday with an idea of what to expect... I was entirely wrong. Sometimes i... READ MORE
Fiona Sharp
Martyr!
An ambitious debut novel
A much anticipated (at least in the US) debut novel from an award winning Iranian-American poet. The book begins in 2015 (before quickly jumping forward... READ MORE
Graham Fulcher
Martyr!
Enjoyed this story
A new author for me, who writes with an original voice. This is the story of Cyrus, confused, emotional, and tangled up in his complicated history start... READ MORE
Lucy Williams
Martyr!
Quirky!
Imaginative novel with interesting characters and interwoven lives. Wasn’t sure what to make of this even though it was easy to read however the more I... READ MORE
Sara Smith
Martyr!
2024 is turning out to be such a good year for debut novels
We seem to be in a time of very strong debut novels. Often these are coming from writers who have already established themselves within the literary world... READ MORE
ReadbyPhil
Martyr!
I already want to read it again!
I don’t even know where to begin with Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar. It’s the kind of novel that you, takes up space in your chest, and refuses to leave. I finish... READ MORE
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