#293 | How Savage and Noble is Bab Dionne’s Death in ‘The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne’?—I Don’t Know, But Here’s Why I Liked It
Quick SUMMARY:
Douglas Vigliotti delves into Ron Currie’s 2025 crime novel, “The Savage Noble Death of Babs Dionne”. Vigliotti explores Currie’s literary background, the novel’s gripping plot about a crime family matriarch in Maine, and its themes of generational trauma, addiction, and family loyalty. He highlights the book’s raw, unbridled style, best-in-class dialogue, and complex characters, recommending the novel as a standout among new crime fiction.
Listen to the episode:
LISTEN ON:Apple or Spotify 🎧
*Subscribe to The Books for Men Newsletter, a monthly round-up of every episode with full book and author info, all the best quotes, and newsletter-only book recommendations!
TOPICS COVERED IN the EPISODE:
Introduction & Newsletter Promo (00:09) - Douglas introduces the podcast, the featured book, and promotes the companion newsletter.
About Ron Currie & His Literary Evolution (01:16) - Background on author Ron Currie, his previous works, and his shift toward crime fiction.
Personal Connection & Book Overview (02:40) - Currie’s personal ties to the setting and a summary of the novel’s plot and main character.
Crime Genre Elements & Story Structure (03:55) - Discussion of the novel’s crime TV show feel, Aristotelian principles, and overall reading experience.
Narrative Style & Central Themes (05:07) - Analysis of the novel’s prologue, use of second person, and exploration of themes like trauma and addiction.
Character Complexity & Dialogue (06:29) - Examination of character paradoxes, family drama, and praise for Currie’s realistic dialogue.
Memorable Quotes & Episode Wrap-Up (07:55) - Sharing two key quotes from Babs, highlighting her worldview and the novel’s dialogue.
Closing Remarks & Contact Info (09:13) - Douglas encourages subscribing, shares contact details, and promotes his own book and the podcast newsletter.
READ THE TRANSCRIPT:
Welcome back to “Books for Men”, a podcast to inspire more men to read and bring together men who do. So this week I have a work of crime fiction to share with you. It came out in 2025. It is titled “The Savage Noble Death of Babs Dionne”, and it's by Ron Currie. It clocks in at around 350 pages or so. Something of that nature, right in a good spot for a crime novel. But before I dish any more on the book, what I liked, why I'm sharing with you my favorite parts, the themes, all of that stuff that you come to expect with these episodes. I did want to remind new listeners out there of the companion newsletter that goes with this podcast, and that's just a once-a-month email that rounds up all of the episodes from that month, complete with full book and author information, episode summaries, all my favorite quotes and insights, as well as additional book recommendations. So if that sounds like something that you are interested in, or perhaps you just want to sign up, then all you have to do is head over to the website BooksforMen.org
01:16 - All right. So, having said that, who is Ron Currie? He's an American author who debuted back in 2007. So this is his fifth novel, the one that I'm sharing with you today. And it appears that he has moved in the same direction, albeit very different stylistically, as one of my favorite crime novelists, Richard Price. So, like Price, Currie started what I would consider to be crime adjacent, but definitely more literary before moving his work. The book I'm sharing with you today, and also what appears to be a follow-up to this book, next year, into more of the crime genre. I know Richard Price has said that he did it to help himself make a living, so he thought it was easier to ground his work in crime because there are built in readers for crime, and he can explore socioeconomic themes and other themes that are not always so easy to sell doorstop or novels on, all while being able to clearly exemplify strong literary chops, so to speak. And in that way, I can see some similarity with Ron Currie, the author of the book that I am sharing with you today, who started with a book of short stories, moved to literary fiction, and then settled on this rollicking fun tale that I will tell you about shortly.
02:40 - In general, I love stories like Ron Currie, so he dropped out of college. He became a writer. The life. His life is not glorious, or as it's depicted online. I don't know him personally, but it feels hard-bitten and earned in every ounce of that reads in the book that I am sharing with you today. The story feels very personal, and it actually takes place in the town where he grew up, or where he currently lives. So there's definitely a familiarity with it. Okay, without further ado, let me turn to the actual story at hand because I seem dead set on doing that anyway. So most obviously, if the title hasn't given it away, the story is about Babs Dionne, a merciless matriarch of a crime family in Waterville, Maine. It's a community that Babs grew up in and will go to great lengths to defend both her family and the town that is. And in short, the story is about her having to face and navigate two challenges simultaneously: her missing daughter and a rival international drug kingpin from Canada moving in on her territory in her hometown.
03:55 - So the book sets up eerily similar to a crime TV show or series. Or at least that's the way it felt while reading it, which I think might make it familiar-feeling for many readers. Babs faces resistance from every angle. So both internally with herself and her own quote-unquote family, and then externally, not just from that kingpin that I mentioned, but also other sketchy characters that inhabit this central main town. So when I look at this novel on a story level, it really exemplifies what I would consider to be some really fundamental Aristotelian principles that make it work extremely well, even if the author didn't know that he was doing that. Or maybe he did, I don't know. But again, for me, it's one of those books that you could really pinpoint these principles in action. It was one of the most fun and, albeit, gritty as hell. So brace yourself. But one of the most fun crime novels I've read in a long time, and I'm not going to share how the book starts or ends, for that matter, because I don't want to ruin it.
05:07 - But I will say this, the first, like, I don't know, hour of reading was just shot straight out of a cannon. And I'm not a huge prologue guy, but in this case, the author uses second-person point of view to really make that prologue feel even more immersive. But not just that. It really sets forth who and what Babs Dionne actually is. And sadly, in some sense, her other daughter, Lori, a marine veteran who was in the war in Afghanistan, not the missing one, is also a central character in the novel and its plot. And in my opinion, she provides a more expansive look or representation of some of the larger themes that are primarily central to this novel. Things like generational trauma, the opioid crisis, and probably more importantly or broadly, this idea that people will often return to the pain even though they know it is hurting them. Addiction 101. Really. But there are so many juxtapositions and rationalizations in this novel, like the fact that Babs is a huge drug dealer and both of her daughters are addicts, or that Babs loves her home, but she also harms it most obviously by dealing drugs and creating this environment in the town.
06:29 - But for me, I really like inconsistencies and imperfections or paradoxes in some cases in novels, because I find them to be more emblematic of real life. And so, as long as the characters have their reasons and Currie's characters definitely do, in some sense, this is what makes the story so gripping. But the novel is also about home and loyalty, and it's undoubtedly a family drama, which I loved because so many of not just my favorite stories, but the great crime stories are really family dramas. One of the big highlights for me, and it's sometimes a gripe actually, is Currie’s dialogue, something that I find too, as I just mentioned, to be grating and redundant and unrealistic in many novels, even good ones. So when it shines, it's really resonant. And of course, this is just my opinion, but for me, his characters really come alive through that dialogue, and that's something that I love and always appreciate when it's there. Overall, I will just conclude by saying it's one of the better crime novels that I've read recently, that is new, so I would definitely, definitely check it out.
07:55 - If you are a crime fan, I will close this episode with two bits of dialogue from our main character, Babs, because not only are they emblematic of her worldview, they'll also showcase that dialogue that I just spoke of. And so the first is Babs speaking to her young nephew or grandson, I should say. And it's that hard wisdom that you both love and sort of hate when you're dealing with Babs. But she says, “…the world will try to erase you every day. That's what life is. You can't let it. You can't believe the lies it tells you about yourself.” And then the final quote that comes from Babs is at the end of the novel and based on the title of this book, which again is “The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne”, I don't think I am spoiling anything by citing this wonderful little piece of dialogue, and Currie writes. “‘Besides,’ Babs said, ‘it's kind of nice knowing when your ticket is going to get punched. Most people aren't that lucky. They have to worry and wonder every day of their lives. Me, all I have to do is sit here and wait.’”
09:17 - All right, so on that note, I hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, I want to remind you to please click subscribe on whatever podcast platform you are listening to this on, because it is the best way for new listeners to find the show, as well as inspire more men to read. If you want to connect with me, there are two ways to do so: either on Instagram @DouglasVigliotti. It's the only social media that I have or via my website DouglasVigliotti.com. Maybe you want to check out my book that I kind of mentioned once or twice in this episode, “Aristotle for Novelists: 14 Timeless Principles on the Art of Story”. In that case, visit the website: AristotleforNovelists.com. Last but not least, I wanted to thank you so much for listening and remind you that if you wanted more information on this podcast specifically, which includes signing up for that newsletter I mentioned at the top of this episode, all you have to do is head over to the website BooksforMen.org.
