In Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (Pilgrim Bell), destinies collide in a most spectacular fashion when an Iranian-American poet from Indiana meets a dying artist. Akbar's first work of fiction, shortlisted for the National Book Award, is an electrifying drama swirling with themes of sobriety, sexuality, and the meaning of art as the story travels from Tehran to Indiana and New York.
Martyr!, alive with crafty, energetic prose, follows Cyrus Shams, a former raging alcoholic who, approaching 30 and feeling directionless, decides it's high time he created something big and meaningful through his writing. Cyrus is determined to write a book about real-life martyrs, and travels to New York to interview the mysterious painter Orkideh. Orkideh has terminal cancer and is living her final days at the Brooklyn Museum in an exhibit called "Death-Speak," inviting museumgoers to spend time with her. Talking about death with the artist transforms and unsettles Cyrus, setting the stage for a radical moral reckoning for both parties.
Like the delicate shards that make up Iranian mirror art, Martyr! pieces together multiple narratives to deliver a stunning work of enduring literary beauty. --Shahina Piyarali