The Fortune Men

A novel

De: Nadifa Mohamed

Narrado por: Hugh Quarshie

BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST • Based on a true event, this novel is “a blues song cut straight from the heart ... about the unjust death of an innocent Black man caught up in a corrupt system” (Walter Mosley, best-selling author of Devil in a Blue Dress).

In Cardiff, Wales in 1952, Mahmood Mattan, a young Somali sailor, is accused of a crime he did not commit: the brutal killing of Violet Volacki, a shopkeeper from Tiger Bay. At first, Mahmood believes he can ignore the fingers pointing his way; he may be a gambler and a petty thief, but he is no murderer. He is a father of three, secure in his innocence and his belief in British justice.

But as the trial draws closer, his prospect for freedom dwindles. Now, Mahmood must stage a terrifying fight for his life, with all the chips stacked against him: a shoddy investigation, an inhumane legal system, and, most evidently, pervasive and deep-rooted racism at every step.

Under the shadow of the hangman's noose, Mahmood begins to realize that even the truth may not be enough to save him. A haunting tale of miscarried justice, this book offers a chilling look at the dark corners of our humanity.

Tragedy in Cardiff

“The Fortune Men” is based on the true story of a Somali immigrant in Tiger Bay, Wales, who is wrongly accused in 1952 of slitting the throat of an older white woman in her shop. Mahmood Mattan is proud, frustrated and angry, a petty criminal but not a murderer. The society around him is multi-ethnic, with sailors and others from around the world, but it is also poor and racist. Mattan’s own lawyer refers to him as a savage. The novel takes some time getting going, but it becomes more compelling as the police build their case against Mattan. I felt tremendous sympathy for Mattan, his wife and their three mixed-race children. Minor characters were well drawn.

The narrator does an excellent job with Mattan’s accent, but the other accents are a mishmash.

Excellent and unexpected

I really loved this book: the writing, the story, and the narration. It is harsh though very much worth it.

Narration makes it difficult to listen to

Need to be polylingual on East Indian and African accents to understand this novel. I could mot differentiate between the characters. Assume it’s good literature as short-listed for Booker. But from listening I have no idea!

Really poor accents

The narrator was unable to capture the various accents of the characters. For example the Jewish character accents were completely wrong. They sounded a bit Irish. The Jamaican and other accents too. It was so bad I couldn’t listen to more than the quarter. Audible should ensure that narrators know the correct spoken accents of characters appropriate to the time periods in which they lived, as set out in the novel.