Refusal Shoes by Tony Saint

 

Have you ever thought about the miserable looking officials who sit at desks in the airport on your way back from holiday? Tony Saint’s debut novel delves into their world, one full of crooks and villains - and that’s just the officials!

 

The title of the book refers to the methods used by immigration officers in the past to guess which passengers would later be refused entry to the UK, simply by looking at the shoes they wore. More often than not, they were right.

 

Refusal Shoes follows Henry Brinks, an Immigration Officer at a fictional airport’s Terminal C, and his quest for a quieter life. Already tired by the day-to-day grind of working at an airport and having to deal with the constant stream of passengers from around the world, Henry’s life is thrown into turmoil with the arrival of a Chinese gangster. As he races against time to avoid becoming embroiled in a scandal involving a less than scrupulous colleague and a triad gang, a humorous crime caper unfolds, with a dose of sham marriages, Nigerian impostors and Bangladeshis taking ‘lie detector tests’.

 

Saint, an Immigration officer of 10 years at Heathrow airport, paints a vivid picture of the Immigration Service and some ‘not so legal’ practices that go on in the restricted zones of the airport. Hugely insightful, revealing a number of tricks of the trade, Saint manages to capture the reader with both humour and information, keeping us eager to turn the pages. 

 

Refusal Shoes has a decent plot with plenty of laugh out loud moments. A recommended read whether you have any interest in immigration or are just looking for a bit of light relief. Next time you’re passing through the arrivals queue at an airport see if you can spot a pair of refusal shoes!

 

Review by Sala Choudhury