The Fortune Men

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize, Mohamed’s devastating third novel explores the true story of the wrongful conviction of Mahmood Mattan, a Somali seaman known to Mohamed’s father, also a Somali sailor. Mahmood arrived in Cardiff, Wales, along with immigrants from all over the world, to replace the British seamen lost in World War II. Because he was a convicted petty thief and known gambler, Mahmood was a convenient target for the police in a community with entrenched racism, despite, or perhaps because of, the need for immigrant workers to maintain Cardiff’s merchant trade. Mohamed’s extensive research is evident as she recounts in detail Mahmood’s arrest for the 1952 murder of Lily Volpert (fictionalized here as “Violet Volacki”) on the flimsiest of evidence, his cruel imprisonment, and the sham trial that resulted in his execution. Effectively weaving in flashbacks to Mahmood’s childhood and time at sea, Mohamed creates a richness of character that, coupled with Ghanaian-born British actor Hugh Quarshie’s resonant voice and smooth, conversational cadences, allows listeners to connect deeply with the doomed man. Also exceptionally moving are Quarshie’s tender readings of the intimate glimpses into the domestic lives of Mahmood and Violet.