Martyr!

Gabe is Cyrus’s Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor. He is in his 50s and has been sober for 33 years. Cyrus sometimes argues with Gabe, but Gabe shows patience and forgiveness, representing what Cyrus could become if he remains sober. His name may be a reference to the angel Gabriel.

Sad James is a friend of Cyrus’s who helps convince him to go see Orkideh in New York. Sad James took on his nickname to avoid confusion with the local DJ, DJ James.

Kathleen is a young woman from a wealthy oil family whom Cyrus briefly dates. It’s on a date with Kathleen to a hookah bar that Cyrus meets Zee.

Dr. Monfort is the name that a medical student takes on while working with Cyrus in a training simulation. Outside the simulation, she comes from a New England boarding school background, which is the opposite of Cyrus’s impoverished, Iranian background.

Gilgamesh is the husband of Leila and a friend of Ali’s. He gets angry at Leila for having an affair with Roya, despite the fact that Gilgamesh himself breaks Iranian law by doing things like drinking.

Jude is a man who pays Cyrus and Zee in fresh groceries to do his yard work. They speculate that he might be a pervert, but he generally seems content just to watch them work.

Ferdowsi is a poet in a story-within-the-story. He writes a poem for King Mahmud in order to pay for a bridge to be replaced.

King Mahmud is a king in a story-within-the-story. He commissions the poet Ferdowsi to write him an epic, then refuses to pay full price. Later, he regrets his actions and pays the full amount, only to learn that Ferdowsi has died.

Prateek is a docent at the Brooklyn Museum who informs Cyrus of Orkideh’s death.

Duy is Sang Linh’s son who helps her with her gallery work.