The whole time I was reading Ron Currie’s THE SAVAGE, NOBLE DEATH OF BABS DIONNE, I kept thinking to myself, I wonder what the tourism bureau in Waterville thinks about this. I’ve been to Waterville, Maine, and I don’t remember it being quite the hotbed of drugs and violence that Currie portrays it as.

Then again, maybe I was just hanging out in the wrong places. Part of the book highlights the stark contrast between elite Colby College in Waterville and the impoverished “Little Canada” neighborhood that abuts it. The college president --- intent on maintaining good relationships with potential students’ parents and other donors --- has a vested interest in improving the reputation of Little Canada. And Babs Dionne, the matriarch of the neighborhood, is more than happy to cut a deal that will benefit it for generations to come.

"Currie’s writing is sharp and lively, and the novel is full of indelible scenes and images.... He also depicts the powerlessness that accompanies addiction with a genuine visceral rawness."

Babs is no stranger to deal-making. Ever since returning to Waterville (she was born and grew up there, but fled when an act of sexual violence against her led to a man’s death), she’s built an empire on selling illegal prescription drugs to the many addicts in Waterville and surrounding areas. She’s a shrewd businesswoman, and she knows it. So does everyone else in the vast network of people who work for her --- from the other old ladies in Little Canada to the local police chief, a doctor and the parish priest.

Babs’ two daughters have gotten caught up in the business as well, but not without getting ensnared themselves. Lori returned from military service in Afghanistan with the ability to see ghosts --- and an addiction resulting from trying to banish her memories. Sis has an adoring young son and an abusive husband. Although she’s one of Babs’ most reliable couriers, she also struggles with her own addiction to meth.

Clearly, despite Babs’ business acumen, her family life is a bit of a mess. But soon her professional life is about to get a lot more complicated, too. The biggest drug kingpin in Canada has sent his primary henchman to investigate why the heroin he peddles doesn’t seem to be gaining a toehold in this corner of Maine. All signs point to Babs --- which means that she and the people she loves might as well have targets on their heads.

Currie’s writing is sharp and lively, and the novel is full of indelible scenes and images. Some of them are deeply disturbing, such as acts of violence from Lori’s tour of duty. Others, however, are hilarious (let’s just say you may never look at the Shriners during a parade quite the same). He also depicts the powerlessness that accompanies addiction with a genuine visceral rawness.

THE SAVAGE, NOBLE DEATH OF BABS DIONNE is ostensibly a mystery. Why does one character disappear, and who’s responsible? But it’s also an emotionally charged family drama and a tribute to the resilience of the French Canadians struggling to hold on to their cultural identity in small pockets of New England. This is a community and culture that one doesn’t see portrayed in fiction often, but readers won’t soon forget the glimpse that Currie gives them of these battered yet proud people.