We Will See You Bleed
"A thriller in the best sense"
Will be published approx. on 2. July 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
384 pages
978-1-80546-646-8 (ISBN)
Description
It's late summer 1984, and Babs Dionne's hometown of Waterville, Maine is on the verge of collapse. A strike at the paper mill has dragged on for a year, pitting neighbour against neighbour, leaving everyone broke and exhausted.
As head of the union local, Babs has presided over Little Canada's decline. She's sworn off violence since killing a man when she was a teenager, and has stuck to this vow even as it's become clear that only violence can save their community. When Babs' best friend Rita returns home after five years away, she is shocked by the state of things. And as the strike comes to a head, Rita notices something else: the men may be broken, but the women are furious, ready to do whatever necessary to take back Little Canada.
They just need Babs to be the fearless woman who emerged from the woods fifteen years ago, drenched in blood. They need Babs to face what she already knows: that the only way to fix things is to assume control. Completely. Mercilessly.
As head of the union local, Babs has presided over Little Canada's decline. She's sworn off violence since killing a man when she was a teenager, and has stuck to this vow even as it's become clear that only violence can save their community. When Babs' best friend Rita returns home after five years away, she is shocked by the state of things. And as the strike comes to a head, Rita notices something else: the men may be broken, but the women are furious, ready to do whatever necessary to take back Little Canada.
They just need Babs to be the fearless woman who emerged from the woods fifteen years ago, drenched in blood. They need Babs to face what she already knows: that the only way to fix things is to assume control. Completely. Mercilessly.
Reviews / Votes
A thriller in the best sense. You can't put the damn thing down, and the story of these down-and-outs fighting the powers that be will stay with you a long time. Solid-gold guarantee * Stephen King * There's more than a little of Don Corleone's ruthless amorality in Babs, who remains admirable in her desire to protect a working-class community even while she engages in criminal, sometimes bloody, activities. And much like The Godfather, the novel serves as allegory for a crumbling American infrastructure where citizens are victimized by rapacious capitalism. . . Currie's passion for the underclass is clear, and Babs' role as their Robin Hood-ish benefactor makes her an appealing antihero. A dark and lively modern-day outlaw tale. * Kirkus Reviews * Every bit as brutal and satisfying as its predecessor. * Publishers Weekly, Summer Reads * A good character study and historical crime story * Booklist * Sterling prequel to The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne . . . With muscular prose and palpable empathy, Currie deepens his already epic crime series. It's a winner. * Publishers Weekly, Starred Review *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 138 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-80546-646-8 (9781805466468)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
approx. 07/2026
Atlantic Books
€11.49
Not yet available
Person
Ron Currie is the award-winning author of five novels. He has won the New York Public Library's Young Lions Award, the Addison M. Metcalf Award, the Alex Award, and the Pushcart Prize. His books have been translated into fifteen languages, and his short fiction and nonfiction have received recognition in Best American anthologies. As a screenwriter he worked most recently on the Apple TV+ series Extrapolations and has developed projects with AMC Studios, Amblin Television, and ITV America. He lives in Portland, Maine and teaches in the University of Southern Maine Stonecoast MFA program.