Biblioracle: Ron Currie Jr.'s latest novel is the dark but inviting ‘Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne'

Chicago Tribune

29-03-2025

Ron Currie Jr. wrote a novel that is one of my favorite reading experiences of all time.
That novel is 'Everything Matters!' which tells the story of Junior Thibodeau, who is born with access to a telepathic omniscient presence that has informed him of the exact moment of planetary death, 36 years and 168 days after his birth.
The novel is about the challenge of figuring out what kind of life is worth living, a challenge we all face, only without the knowledge of a definitive end date. The novel is passionate, funny, and emotionally moving with a gripping and surprising plot.
Currie's new novel, 'The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne' is simultaneously completely different and exactly the same as 'Everything Matters!' which seems impossible, but to me, is the hallmark of a writer who knows what he's about and delivers the goods to the reader.
'Everything Matters!' is essentially a domestic drama with a supernatural tinge, while 'The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne' is written as a kind of noir, featuring the head of a crime family (Babs), amidst a backdrop of drug addiction, war, violence and with a paid killer named only The Man, who is as terrifying as Anton Chigurh from Cormac McCarthy's 'No Country for Old Men,' while also being strangely charming and with an amazing backstory.
Babs is the de facto head of Waterville, Maine, a place known as 'Little Canada' where Francophone culture traced to the initial migration of Quebecois people is treasured by the people of Babs' generation. Babs deals in opioids, her power derived from a fearsome and legendary act she committed as a teenager. She embraces the drug trade because she sees it as her way to provide for a community that has been disadvantaged and overlooked by the powers that be. She is a kind of heroine, but we also see that her daughters — the older Lori who is experiencing PTSD from her time serving in Afghanistan, and the young Sis, who is addicted to crystal meth — are clearly being ruined by this world Babs has overseen.
An external threat of a bigger operator coming to take over Babs' drug trade has created a future flashpoint in the novel that all events are heading toward. This creates significant page-turning suspense, but Currie is up to more than just a propulsive crime novel, even though that would be more than satisfactory.
The deftness of Currie's portrayal of these characters allows them to defy easy categorization. Babs loves her family fiercely, including her grandson, Sis' child (Jason), but this love is killing them. Lori is haunted (literally) by what she witnessed in Afghanistan as the dead routinely show up in her visions. She is as tough as Babs, but also desperately wants out of this world and has the promise and potential of an old boyfriend temporarily returned to Waterville to take her away.
At one point a meth-dealing serial killer is temporarily a source of goodwill. Even The Man, a killing machine, is portrayed as someone capable of the same kind of fierce love and connection as Babs.
The result is a novel that is both dark and warm, similar to 'Everything Matters!' where the end of the world becomes a vehicle for appreciating the wonders of humanity and the specific strength of the ties that bind those who are closest to us.
Babs Dionne's world is much smaller than the planet, but to her it's everything, and her death is truly a combination of savage and noble, a perfect description of the novel itself.
John Warner is the author of books including 'More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI.' You can find him at biblioracle.com.
Book recommendations from the Biblioracle
John Warner tells you what to read based on the last five books you've read.
1. 'I Hope This Finds You Well' by Natalie Sue
2. 'How to Read a Book' by Monica Wood
3. 'Everything Matters' by Ron Currie Jr
4. 'Tom Lake' by Ann Patchett
5. 'The Searcher' by Tana French
— Molly S., Chicago
I think Molly will enjoy the story of a 'prep-school gender war' at the center of Lisa Lutz's 'The Swallows.'
1. 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. 'French Milk' by Lucy Knisley
3. 'Blue Sisters' by Coco Mellors
4. 'Relish: My Life in the Kitchen' by Lucy Knisley
5. 'Maus' by Art Spiegelman
— London on behalf of his daughter, Charlotte, Skokie
For Charlotte, I'm recommending a novel by one of our great graphic novelists, 'Cruddy' by Lynda Barry.
1. 'Killing Patton' by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
2. 'Dead Wake' by Erik Larson
3. 'Invisible Girl' by Lisa Jewell
4. 'Oath and Honor' by Liz Cheney
5. 'The Nightingale' by Kristin Hannah
— Janet W., Lisle
I think Janet will enjoy a truly original work of historical fiction, 'Life After Life' by Kate Atkinson.