Martyr!

Cyrus Shams has always felt lost. Raised amidst enigmas of his family’s past, he is haunted by stories that span continents and generations: his uncle who rode through the war-torn landscapes of Iran, a mesmerizing but devastating piece of art by an exiled painter, and the enigma of his mother, whose plane was tragically downed over the Persian Gulf when he was just a baby. Now, in the throes of new sobriety and perhaps teetering on the brink of love, Cyrus embarks on a journey that promises to transform everything he believes about himself and his family's history. As he delves deeper into the labyrinth of his own story, he must confront a final revelation—one that could redefine the very essence of his existence. Can Cyrus uncover the truths that have eluded him for so long, or will the shadows of the past forever obscure his path?

Electrifying, funny, and all-consuming, Kaveh Akbar's Martyr! is a literary masterpiece. Shortlisted for the Waterstones Debut Prize for Fiction 2024 and hailed as one of the best books of 2024 by The New York Times, Amazon, CBS, TIME, and Sarah Jessica Parker, it was also featured on Barack Obama's Summer Reading List 2024.

"I will carry this story, and the people in it, with me for the rest of my life," praises John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars.

"Smart, dazzling, different . . . This book is thrilling," lauds Ann Patchett, author of Tom Lake.

Tommy Orange, author of Wandering Stars, calls it "an absolute jewel of a novel."

Guardian declares it "a kaleidoscopic debut."

_{Martyr! was an instant New York Times bestseller w/c 27/1/24.}