Martyr! A Novel

Oh, Martyr! How I wanted to love you.

Cyrus, you were a fine character. Messy, frustrating, beautiful and human. As unattractive as your selfishness could be, let's be honest, it was also relatable. We're all too interested in ourselves and not enough in others. Your moments of clarity were near ecstatic and I don't believe a reader could ever stop rooting for you. Zee and Roya exuded humanity in their specific ways as well, and Ali too, though perhaps to a lesser extent.

And Cyrus, your dreams! How divine. Capturing both the absurdity of our unconscious orchestrations and the way we earnestly accept them, no matter how outlandish. These sequences were sublime.

I loved the voice, language, and characters of this book. And I almost loved the story, but late in the game, a crucial plot development left me cold and incredulous. I was devasted by this authorial choice, and though there was so much to love, for me the story problem tarnishes the novel.

A sad, reluctant 3.5 stars.

Update: Longlisted for the 2024 National Book Award for Fiction.