I wanted to like Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar more than I did. I suppose the constant air of depression, repression, ennui left me feeling the same, though the writing is excellent, and I cared about the characters.

The ending didn't work for me, but that's probably personal preference more than a criticism. I often dislike books everyone loves. This has always been true but increasingly, I no longer represent the book-loving mainstream.