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This Tension Runs Right Through
Mine-Shift follows a teenage Cornish miner living in the 18th century who happens upon an old mine passage and stumbles into the 21st century. Where did the idea behind this novel come from?
I have always wanted to write a story about the Cornish Tin Mines that more honestly reflected the harshness and hardships endured by the workers in the mine, rather than the romantic viewpoint of the owners of the mine, as in books like ‘Poldark’. I also had a fascination for how a young person from the eighteenth century would react to our modern world and way of life, thus almost dictating that I write a Time-slip novel. I began to research Mining in the 18th century, and the amazing facts I discovered gave me so much, that the book almost wrote itself. An added spin-off that eventually became a major part of the story was the reaction of the eighteenth century mining community to the materials Joel brought back to enable him to heal his injured father – the slander and gossip that was spread about – and its counterpart in the on-line trolling of our own times
Joel’s first reaction to the future is, “I don’t belong here.” Why was that feeling so important to the story?
Joel soon found himself struggling. At first he saw the 21st century world as totally foreign. He felt confused. mystified and out of place, but, at the same time, he felt strangely attracted to Cass, a 21st century girl. Gradually he discovers more about our world and its comparative ease and comfort and he began to like it, but still he felt out of place. This provides a huge tension as his love for his family, particularly his father, grows stronger, while his new found friends in the 21st century become more important to him. He wants to belong in the modern world, and when he is clothed like his friends and does things with them he feels he does belong. But clothed in his miner’s smock he immediately becomes an interloper again. This tension runs right through the story, and is resolved only by outside circumstances, which I hope give the book a touching and poignant end.
How did you balance historical accuracy with storytelling?
I tried to limit any explanation of historical fact, so that it flowed along with the narrative and never halted or interfered with the progression of the story, only including brief explanation as a part of the dialogue, usually with Joel’s friends in our world or as the most brief asides in the narrative. Some historical details I never explained, taking a step of faith that the readers would deduce the meaning of the historical fact from the context. I tried at all times not to be didactic
Why do you think folklore continues to resonate with readers today?
People are still superstitious. Some of the superstitions and folklore of the eighteenth century still hold sway in places like Cornwall. People still talk of Knockers in the mines, won’t put out to sea for long trips on certain days, won’t mention certain words at certain times. Folklor has been with us since man stumbled onto two feet. It’s in our DNA and provides a rich vein for books like Mine-Shift
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads | Website
John Kitchen was born and grew up in Cornwall. He returns to these roots in Mine-Shift, which is his fourth book to explore less familiar aspects of the supernatural. His first novel, Nicola’s Ghost, won the Writer’ Digest Award for best Young Adult Novel in 2011. Mine-Shift is his second ‘time-shift’ novel to be set in Cornwall. John writes his stories in a bright yellow studio in his four-hundred-year-old cottage in Oxfordshire. His wife died in 1995, but he has a daughter and a son, and four amazing grandchildren.
Mine-Shift
Mine-Shift, by John Kitchen, is a time-slip adventure about Joel Penberthy, a teenage Cornish miner whose life is split between the brutal reality of the eighteenth century and the strange brightness of the twenty-first. Joel first stumbles into the future through an old mine passage, carrying with him fear, guilt, superstition, and a fierce loyalty to his injured father. His first clear reaction says a lot about the book’s heart: “I don’t belong here.” That feeling of being out of place drives the story, but so does Joel’s growing sense that belonging can change.
The novel is especially strong when it keeps Joel close to the physical world he knows. The mine is hot, dangerous, cramped, and full of old beliefs, while modern Cornwall feels almost magical through his eyes, with cars, phones, medicine, surfing, bright shops, and easy friendship. Kitchen gets a lot of mileage out of that contrast. The future isn’t treated as a joke or a simple rescue. It’s confusing, dazzling, and sometimes frightening, and Joel has to learn it piece by piece.
Joel’s friendships with Cass, Karl, and Ewan give the book much of its warmth. Cass is curious, bold, and kind, and her bond with Joel gives the story a tender pull without taking it away from adventure. Karl and Ewan help widen Joel’s world, while Dr Greaves brings practical hope through medicine. What’s nice is that these modern characters don’t just teach Joel things. They give him room to become more himself, and that makes his transformation feel earned.
At the same time, the story keeps one foot firmly in Joel’s old life. His father’s injury, Hab’s anger, the Pellar’s influence, and the suspicion of “black arts” create real pressure around every trip through the portal. Joel isn’t simply choosing between misery and comfort. He loves people on both sides of time, and that makes the ending land with a quiet sadness as well as relief. By the close, when Joel is described as “a twenty-first-century boy,” the line feels less like escape and more like the final shape of a hard choice.
Mine-Shift is a thoughtful adventure about courage, change, and the shock of seeing your own world from the outside. It blends Cornish mining history, folklore, friendship, and time travel into a story that feels accessible for older children while still carrying some emotional weight. Joel is easy to care about because he’s scared, stubborn, decent, and often overwhelmed, which makes his journey feel personal rather than merely fantastical.
Pages: 225 | ASIN : B0FP4C1DDY
