Five Bridges

科尔姆·托宾 / 柏栎Shanghai Translation Publishing House · ChinaAug 2026

3.9

Word count: 14K words
Chapters: 5

Summary

A late-arriving fatherly love that, at the moment of letting go, still tries to keep its dignity and tenderness. Paul, from Ireland, has lived illegally in the United States for over thirty years, working as a plumber. When a new administration takes office, he decides to move back to Ireland, but that also means leaving his eleven-year-old daughter Geraldine, born to him and his former partner Sandra. Before he flies back to Dublin, Geraldine wants Paul, Sandra, and Sandra's husband Stan to go hiking together on Mount Tamalpais outside San Francisco.

Editor's review

In this work Toibin continues his delicate grasp of silence, distance, and family relations. An Irish plumber who has lived illegally in the United States for over thirty years decides to leave voluntarily under deportation pressure, and the farewell not yet spoken between him and his eleven-year-old daughter is placed within a hike on Mount Tamalpais. The five bridges are both geographical markers and something like the stages a relationship must pass through. The novel has no major dramatic conflict; its power comes from the moments when characters stop short of speaking, and from a father's effort to maintain decency and tenderness as he lets go. Suited to readers who like quiet psychological narrative, to be read in sections on the commute or before sleep, letting the restrained dialogue settle slowly. Toibin's sentences are clean, and the translation preserves that unshowy texture, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who like Toibin's work and are accustomed to quiet psychological narrative
Readers who resonate with themes of father-daughter relationships, immigration, and parting
Readers looking for a contemporary novel of moderate length suitable for reading in installments
Readers interested in the intersection of Irish literature and the American immigrant experience

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting strong dramatic conflict or plot twists; the book is calm and inward
Readers who prefer dense dialogue and fast scene changes may find the pace slow
Readers hoping for extensive analysis of immigration policy; the work focuses more on private emotion

Reading tips

Read in sections following the progress of the hike, experiencing the five bridges as markers of the relationship's advance.
Notice the blanks in the dialogue between Paul and his daughter, her mother, and her mother's husband, and read out what is left unsaid.
After finishing, recall your own scenes of parting with elders and write a few lines of notes to help settle the feeling.
If reading the English original, compare how Bai Li's translation handles the rhythm of Toibin's sentences.

About the publisher

Shanghai Translation Publishing House China · Founded in 1978

Shanghai Translation Publishing House is a Chinese publisher oriented mainly toward translation and publishing. Its publications cover foreign literature, world classics and classic works, as well as social culture, folk literature and classical poetry. The database contains 2,618 titles, including Never Let Me Go, Les Misérables (2 volumes), Don Quixote (illustrated collector's edition), The Complete Comedies of Molière (4 volumes), The Complete Novels of Kafka (3 volumes), The Collected Works of Dostoevsky (9-volume set), Reason and Persons, and Oedipus Rex (Translation Classics). Its author resources include foreign writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Victor Hugo, Cervantes and Molière, as well as translators such as Zheng Kelu, Sun Jiameng, Li Jianwu and Zhang Kun. The publisher has brands such as "Translation Classics Selections" and "Translation Documentary," and emphasizes translated works in foreign literature and the humanities and social sciences, while also publishing bilingual dictionaries and foreign-language educational books. Public information is limited; the above is based on the book information in the database.

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译者简介
五座桥

FAQ

Is this novel similar in style to Toibin's other works?

It continues Toibin's characteristic restrained tone and attention to silent family relations, with a short length and emotional intensity hidden in everyday dialogue and gesture. If you have read his other works and like that unshowy narrative, this will suit you; if you are new to Toibin, this shorter book is a good entry point.

Do the "five bridges" in the story have a special meaning?

The five bridges are first of all actual landmarks on the hiking route, and they also mark the narrative's sections. As the characters cross one bridge after another, the unspoken farewell between father and daughter gradually surfaces. The bridge can be understood as an image of transition and connection, but the work does not spell it out as allegory, leaving it for readers to feel.

In what setting is it best to read this book?

It is of moderate length and gentle pace, suitable for reading in several sessions on the commute or before sleep. Because the emotion is understated, it is not recommended for occasions requiring strong stimulation; choose a relatively quiet time so the blanks between dialogues have a chance to settle, and the reading experience will be better.

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About the author

科尔姆·托宾 Author

Colm Tóibín is a major contemporary Irish writer. Ten of his works are included in this collection, spanning novels, short-story collections and essays, and are commonly grouped under foreign literature, essays and miscellaneous writings, and classic works. His representative works include Nora Webster, The Master, The Blackwater Lightship, The Magician, Long Island, The House of Names and The Testament of Mary, as well as Wilde, Yeats, Joyce and Their Fathers. His writing often centres on family relationships, emigration and return, personal memory and identity, with a restrained and understated touch, revealing his characters' complex emotions and psychological depths through everyday detail. He is also known for writing about literary history and writers' lives, as in The Master, which focuses on Henry James. Because public information is limited, his early life and honours are not discussed here; readers may explore his narrative style and literary influence through the works mentioned above.

柏栎 Author

Bai Li is an author about whom little public information is available. At present, only six of her works are listed on the Chinese book site, commonly categorized under foreign literature and classic works. Her representative titles include Nora Webster, The Master, The Magician, Long Island, Mother and Son, and Five Bridges. Judging from the titles and categories, her work largely involves the translation or related writing of foreign literary works, with themes leaning toward classic and serious literature and touching on family, life, and art. Because basic details such as biography, nationality, and dates of birth and death are not recorded, it is difficult to form a complete judgment of her writing career and overall style. Nevertheless, these works show her sustained engagement in introducing foreign literature to Chinese readers and deserve attention on the strength of the texts themselves.