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Martyr! is the kind of book you never forget reading. I wish I could wipe my brain clean and read it again for the first time.

But, then again, I'm also grateful to now be equipped with the vocabulary to explain big philosophical ideas in palatable ways. This book carefully considers themes of grief, martyrdom, sobriety/addiction, family, apathy, social/cultural identity, and so much more. It's hard to explain the plot - or even the structure, which is marvellously fluid - but I think that's the beauty of it. Ultimately it's a book about morality and mortality, following an Iranian man whose parents have both died (one in a plane crash, one by subsequent suicide) negotiating the concept of death. He hears about an artist in Brooklyn who is spending her final days (she has been diagnosed with cancer) sitting in a museum and talking to visitors about anything they choose, and decides he'd appreciate her company.

While this book contemplates big ideas, Kaveh Akbar also isn't shy about confessing that sometimes we DON'T KNOW the answer. Sometimes there is no straightforward solution or explanation. That's part of the human experience, too, this not knowing.

What I do know is that this book was an easy 5 star read, and one I'll be returning to again and again and again.