+34
In his latest work to be set in Catalonia, Tóibín’s men pour their deepest tenderness into their animals while their human connections fail
In his latest work to be set in Catalonia, Tóibín’s men pour their deepest tenderness into their animals while their human connections failTóibín’s short novel The Bridge begins with a new bridge that promises to connect Miquel’s remote Catalan mountain valley to the outside world.
It introduces temptations: electricity, smuggled contraband, strange men with whom to have encounters. When catastrophe occurs, the hurt, rendered with the author’s plainly worded reserve, is acute. Perhaps The Bridge is painful because it opens with hope. Summer is approaching; Miquel is more sexually confident.
Even the decision to relocate – to his dead mother’s childhood home – is cautiously optimistic.
“It gave Miquel some comfort that this house was where his mother had been born; it was where she had been brought up, where she had been returning on the day of the sudden heavy snowfall. ” In Miquel, Tóibín makes us privy to the inner workings of a man not prone to profound introspection. Miquel dwells in moments, like a kiss “by the wall of the church, like lovers in some old song”.
His dreams are both vast and plebeian: “He would do anything in his new life – he would cut stones, dig the road, work in a bar, drive a taxi. ” But his father’s keenness for smuggling is unwise, and eventually lands them in prison.
Anita Brookner: Art & Life by Hermione Lee – A loving, careful and worthwhile biography of an evasive lifeHinterlands: Journeys through Europe’s Unfinished Frontiers – A bleak but revelatory dispatchCritical things are left unsaid, as one bleakness is heaped upon another. When Miquel’s brother Jordi returns from the military, no one has told him that both his mother and his dog are dead. When his father sells Miquel’s donkey to be butchered, Miquel mourns.
Tóibín’s men pour their deepest tenderness into their animals while their human connections fail. At its heart, The Bridge is about what rends us apart, a chronicle of relationships that have been in collapse even before Miquel’s mother walked into the snow.
“Obviously,” Jordi fumes, “she didn’t want to be here in this house with you, with either of you. ” After his lover Manolo visits him in prison, Miquel thinks, “He could wander back into the world, walk on whichever side of the street he wanted … He didn’t have to put much thought into where Miquel would go, how he would sleep, who would share his cell. ” His father has ruined him; his cellmate dotes upon and controls him.
But Miquel is a mild man, and like Tóibín, without judgment. The Bridge may be steeped in sadness, but it is Miquel’s gentle spirit that makes his story, for the reader, difficult to bear.
Anita Brookner: Art & Life by Hermione Lee – A loving, careful and worthwhile biography of an evasive lifeHinterlands: Journeys through Europe’s Unfinished Frontiers – A bleak but revelatory dispatchPogues singer Shane MacGowan left €5.6m estateFF Senator paid €16,700 in travel expenses while sick at home for eight monthsRichard Osman: ‘My cats are the first thing I would save from danger. Apart from my wife of course’Sharlene Mawdsley misses out on 400m final at Ultimate Championship
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
FAI Aiming for Sustainable Path to Professional Women's LeagueLizzy Kent, the new head of women and girls' football at the FAI, believes the organization can move closer to a fully professional League of Ireland Women's Premier Division in the coming years. While acknowledging the need for sustainability over rushing, she is advocating for an U21/23 international team to bridge the gap to the senior level.
Read more »
Bohemians Stage Dramatic Comeback to Beat Galway United 3-2 at Eamonn Deacy ParkBohemians rallied from a two‑goal deficit to win 3-2 against Galway United at Eamonn Deacy Park, preserving their title bid in the League of Ireland Premier Division. Key moments included a scissor‑kick by Stephen Walsh, a long‑range strike by Colm Whelan, and a late comeback goal from Ross Tierney. Galway remain three points behind league leaders Shamrock Rovers, while Bohemians keep their position in the title race. The match featured dynamic midfield play, intense defensive battles, and a thrilling finish that saw both teams trade leads before Bohemians secured victory.
Read more »