Poet author has written a beautiful book of a grieving young Iranian migrant to the U.S. who lost his mother as a baby. He plans a life and work centered around the lives and attitudes of martyrs over time as he contemplates his own demise until he meets an artist who is actually dying. Bleak but the writing buoyed this reader through to its fitting finale. ( )

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A very thought provoking book. Cyrus lives his life thinking that his mother died in a terrorist attack on an airplane. His father raises him and dies also. Cyrus is finally a recovering alcoholic who has strokes of genius in viewing and writing about the world. He is fixated on martyrdom. The book goes back and forth between narrators and time periods but it flows really well. Because of my time schedule it took me longer to read this book than it should have. I may have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t lost the flow. ( )

4.25] This moving debut novel was penned by a poet I was unfamiliar with until I saw him in an interview on PBS. Akbar is a skilled word merchant who has managed to create a work that is creative, oftentimes hilarious and impressively thought-provoking. I had high hopes during the first third of the book that it might land on my sparsely populated 5-star list. Sadly, it sagged a bit at the midway point. But the stunning conclusion and overall originality of Akbar’s work earns it a high rating. One of the most riveting subplots involves the young protagonist’s struggles with substance abuse. During the televised interview, the author confided that his addictions to alcohol and drugs in his 20s nearly destroyed him. There’s no doubt that his firsthand experiences helped him to brilliantly chronicle the challenges of addiction. During the interview, Akbar said writing his first novel was “thrilling,” adding that he studied an eclectic selection of narratives in an almost maniacal fashion. This poet’s maiden voyage into fictional waters will entertain, enlighten and impress readers. ( )

Cyrus Shams is lost.

Ever since his mother’s plane was senselessly shot down over the Persian Gulf when he was just a baby, Cyrus has been grappling with her death. Now, newly sober, he is set to learn the truth of her life.

When an encounter with a dying artist leads Cyrus towards the mysteries of his past - an uncle who rode through Iranian battlefields dressed as an Angel of Death, a haunting work of art by an exiled painter – he finds himself once again caught up in the story of his mother, who may not have been who or what she seemed. As Cyrus searches for meaning in the scattered clues of his life, a final revelation transforms everything he thought he knew.

This is one I'd been looking forward to, the debut novel from the wonderfully talented poet Kaveh Akbar. Delighted that it turned out to be such a dazzling read. As you might expect, it is beautifully written and it packs a very poignant twist.
It is rare to read a novel with such energy, it's full of humour, sharp observations and tenderness. But that's not to diminish the plot because the tale weaves through dreams, poets and wartime and comes to a ending not to be missed.
https://quizlit.org/book-of-the-month-april-2024 ( )