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A review by byronic_reader
The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed
4.0
Mohamed says in an interview that 'fortune men' is a term used for Somali sailors by the other Somalis because of the fortune they earned through their travels. Well, it's not a secret that it all turned unfortunate for our Mahmoud Mattan. Wrongly accused of a murder he didn't commit, we follow Mattan navigating his life with the impending punishment. And we can't forget the tangent that follows the life of the family who survived Violet Volacki.
Now, I don't want to go into the details of the plot as many of you might be familiar with it. And I am going to write only what I liked and what didn't work for me in this book. First of all, I am amazed by the amount of research Mohamed has done. I can't even imagine the hard work, the reading and the bulk of interviews she has to do for this book. And the way she wrote it, made the book even more interesting. I mean, this is a book where everyone knows the ending. But the way Mohamed approached it made the book more mysterious and alluring. I literally couldn't put it down.
The way she wrote Mattan is what dragged me into this book. Mattan is not a saint obviously. He had his moments, his crisis of faith with everything around him and the trauma he faced in a foreign land because of skin colour, which is all relevant even today. My first thought when Mattan was caught by the Police was, 'why is he talking back? Shouldn't he be more respectful and cooperative ?' I am not going to lie, I was so ashamed of thinking that. He hasn't done anything wrong. It was only because of their agenda that he was there in the first place and why he has to respect someone when it is not given to him.
It reminded me of a Tumblr post, "If you don't treat me like an authority I won't treat you like a person." And that's exactly what happened to Mattan. He was a petty thief. But he is also a person who is worthy of respect. When that is not given to him, he resorts to rebellion which didn't end fruitful for him. But it is not new, is it? Treating a person as they seem fit by authorities or any person who considers themselves as authorities is universal. I have seen a lot of such incidents happening in my own country, state, city, street and home even. And that makes me think that we as humans will always look for ways to look down on someone that is not us.
I also liked the story of the Volacki family members. Their names have been changed in the book which I guess is by the request of family members. I would've loved to read Diana and Grace and what they thought about Mattan's execution. But their storyline ended halfway through the book which feels abrupt. Mattan was survived by his wife and 3 sons who struggled a lot to clear his name. I have read a few interviews by them and I stopped after a point as it became overwhelming. The trauma they have to face throughout their life because of the failure of law and the delayed compensation that is provided to them cannot make up for the lost years.
I have a few choice words for the very racist solicitor of Mattan. Had Mattan had a person like Thurgood Marshall arguing his case, the prosecution would've been dusted to oblivion. But instead, he had a solicitor who openly mocked his own client as "Half semi-civilized savage" which eventually lead to the conviction of Mattan. The only thing that didn't work for me in this book is the pace. The first few chapters were so dragging and slow in the pace that I thought of giving up the book altogether. But then again, I am happy that I persevered through that phase and got to read the trial and stuff that made the book more exciting.
The Fortune Men had me thinking a lot about the current political situation all over the world that discriminates and dehumanizes people for their lack of privileges. It had me thinking about my standing in many of the situations and I love it when a book does that. So, read this book, not for its booker nomination but the experience it brings you.
Now, I don't want to go into the details of the plot as many of you might be familiar with it. And I am going to write only what I liked and what didn't work for me in this book. First of all, I am amazed by the amount of research Mohamed has done. I can't even imagine the hard work, the reading and the bulk of interviews she has to do for this book. And the way she wrote it, made the book even more interesting. I mean, this is a book where everyone knows the ending. But the way Mohamed approached it made the book more mysterious and alluring. I literally couldn't put it down.
The way she wrote Mattan is what dragged me into this book. Mattan is not a saint obviously. He had his moments, his crisis of faith with everything around him and the trauma he faced in a foreign land because of skin colour, which is all relevant even today. My first thought when Mattan was caught by the Police was, 'why is he talking back? Shouldn't he be more respectful and cooperative ?' I am not going to lie, I was so ashamed of thinking that. He hasn't done anything wrong. It was only because of their agenda that he was there in the first place and why he has to respect someone when it is not given to him.
It reminded me of a Tumblr post, "If you don't treat me like an authority I won't treat you like a person." And that's exactly what happened to Mattan. He was a petty thief. But he is also a person who is worthy of respect. When that is not given to him, he resorts to rebellion which didn't end fruitful for him. But it is not new, is it? Treating a person as they seem fit by authorities or any person who considers themselves as authorities is universal. I have seen a lot of such incidents happening in my own country, state, city, street and home even. And that makes me think that we as humans will always look for ways to look down on someone that is not us.
I also liked the story of the Volacki family members. Their names have been changed in the book which I guess is by the request of family members. I would've loved to read Diana and Grace and what they thought about Mattan's execution. But their storyline ended halfway through the book which feels abrupt. Mattan was survived by his wife and 3 sons who struggled a lot to clear his name. I have read a few interviews by them and I stopped after a point as it became overwhelming. The trauma they have to face throughout their life because of the failure of law and the delayed compensation that is provided to them cannot make up for the lost years.
I have a few choice words for the very racist solicitor of Mattan. Had Mattan had a person like Thurgood Marshall arguing his case, the prosecution would've been dusted to oblivion. But instead, he had a solicitor who openly mocked his own client as "Half semi-civilized savage" which eventually lead to the conviction of Mattan. The only thing that didn't work for me in this book is the pace. The first few chapters were so dragging and slow in the pace that I thought of giving up the book altogether. But then again, I am happy that I persevered through that phase and got to read the trial and stuff that made the book more exciting.
The Fortune Men had me thinking a lot about the current political situation all over the world that discriminates and dehumanizes people for their lack of privileges. It had me thinking about my standing in many of the situations and I love it when a book does that. So, read this book, not for its booker nomination but the experience it brings you.