On 3rd September 1952, Mahmood Mattan—a 28-year-old British Somali seaman—became the last person to be hanged in Wales. His alleged crime was murdering a local shopkeeper, Lily Volpert, but he was convicted with scant evidence. In 1998, 46 years after his execution, his conviction was quashed by three Appeal Court judges and the family awarded substantial compensation. Lily Volpert’s murder remains unsolved.
Nadifa Mohamed’s fictional account of this real-life miscarriage of justice has quite rightly been longlisted for the Booker Prize. A British novelist who was born in Somalia, Mohamed is the author of two previous novels, including the award-winning Black Mamba Boy. She tackles this largely forgotten story with skill and empathy.
In Mohamed’s version, the victim becomes Violet Volacki, who lives with her sister Diana and niece Grace on the premises of the family shop.
