The best books of the year 2021

The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed                                                              

The novel The Fortune Men explores a real-life case of a seaman, Mahmood Mattan, from British Somaliland – living in Wales – who was wrongfully convicted of murder, and then executed. Set in the multiracial community of 1950s Tiger Bay, Cardiff, the novel has been praised for evoking the past while also highlighting present-day injustice. The Guardian says: “In her determined, nuanced and compassionate exposure of injustice, Mohamed gives the terrible story of Mattan’s life and death meaning and dignity”. The novel was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and judge Maya Jasanoff describes the book as “exhilaratingly global”, adding: “Grippingly-paced, and full of complex, richly-drawn characters, the novel combines pointed social observation with a deep empathetic sensibility.” (LB)