A review by la_luna_library
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This is a beautiful exploration of what it means to live, to love, to create art, and to build an existence of meaning. I wish I could have read this book, 5 years ago...younger me was questioning life in similar ways to Cyrus.
Luckily, what I think we both discovered in the end, is that the absurdity and the beauty are intertwined. Life's meaning lies in our connections with others, in the randomness and joyfullness and messyness of loving and being loved.
I enjoyed walking through the big questions with these characters, and I found the ambiguity at the end to instill hope rather than confusion.
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