A review by sandrinepal
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I am sold on the hype, you guys! This book really lived up to its glowing reviews. I was a little wary initially because of the kinda-college-dropout in the Midwest trope: I was bracing myself for some tortured introspection, but life catches up to Cyrus pretty quickly and in deeply gripping ways. The interwoven plots flow side by side beautifully. The denouement is oddly satisfying, partly because of the way it melds together objective facts and Cyrus's technicolor epiphany.