Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

8 reviews

elizabeth_henry's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Abandonment, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Death, Addiction, Alcohol, Death of parent, Grief, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Infidelity

heartmindhealer's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense 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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Addiction, Cancer, Death of parent, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness

bonnie9595's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Addiction, Death, Death of parent, and War

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Mental illness

Minor: Racism, Homophobia, and Islamophobia

bella_cavicchi's review

emotional hopeful reflective fast-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

5.0

To be alive! A burden and a pleasure, and I admire MARTYR! for attending to both. In fact, I adore its absurdity, a treat of form aligning perfectly with content. Akbar can clearly write, but what had the novel stand out, for me, is the steadfast commitment to the existential question of what marks a (meaningful) life.

The hype is well-earned.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Death, Abandonment, Terminal illness, War, Cancer, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Grief, Alcohol, and Violence

Moderate: Pregnancy, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Islamophobia

Minor: Deportation and Homophobia

kenrya's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Medical content, Sexual content, Abandonment, Terminal illness, Violence, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Death, Vomit, Drug use, Lesbophobia, Grief, Suicide, War, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Cursing, Death of parent, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cancer, Infidelity, Outing, and Pregnancy

b_easelbub's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, War, Cancer, Death, Sexual content, and Death of parent

Moderate: Misogyny, Islamophobia, and Mental illness

garyosu's review

challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Death, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Grief, Infidelity, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, War, Drug abuse, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

happyknitter2020's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Absolute brilliant 5* read

Thanks to @netgalley & @panmacmillan for allowing me to read the pre publication Arc.

Simply one of the best books I have read in years... I couldn't put it down. So many complex issues, wrapped up in the mind of man, soothing his deep trauma with drugs & alcohol, searching for the meaning of his life. 

The end was totally unexpected.

I will read anything Kaveh Akbar writes. His writing is simply stunning. Will purchase his poetry collections & all of his future publications.

'More than a little surprised by the words as they came out of his mouth, how they gave shape to something that had long been formless within him. It was like the language in the air that night was a mold he was pouring around his curiosity. Flour thrown on a ghost'....

This summed up the whole beautiful book for me, pages and pages of stunning prose, so many lines annotated & are in my journal.

I loved it & recommend everyone reads it.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Mental illness, Genocide, Death, Blood, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, and War