The Enemy Within

2016 | Fiction & Poetry

The Enemy Within is set around the time of the 1980s miners' strike, a tumultuous era that continues to fascinate. It tells the story of how Jim, a young manager at a British colliery, and Paul, a miner, confront the threats to the survival of their mine, their community and their industry. Half a mile underground, they're faced with an impossible deadline before being forced to confront the deadly hazards of fire, flood and roof collapse. The miners' strike casts them onto opposing sides of a conflict which severs the bonds of family, friendship, and love, turning their pit village into a battlefield. The women's stories are told, as their parts in their community's struggle cause them to see themselves in a new light. As the story races to its cliff-hanging climax, only time and events will determine who of them and which of their relationships will survive...The Enemy Within is a true-to-life story of a fight for survival, in which a cast of unforgettable characters battle, above and below ground, to preserve their communities, their way of life and their industry.

This positive portrayal of British coal-mining will appeal to anyone with an interest in both the history of the industry and the human impacts of the miners' strike.

Robert MacNeil Wilson (Author)