The Ruiners by Ellena Savage review Ellena Savage’s debut novel, The Ruiners, is a subversive exploration of white privilege and social mobility, playfully engaging with Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. The story follows 29-year-old Pip, who inherits money and impulsively spends it on a decaying house on a remote Greek island with her new husband, Sasha. The novel critiques contemporary societal failures through its earnest narrators, balancing high intellect with a belief in love and art as essential human experiences.

• The Ruiners is Ellena Savage’s debut novel, a playful, subversive take on Dickens’ Great Expectations.
• The protagonist, Pip, inherits money and uses it to buy a house on the fictional Greek island of Fokos with her husband, Sasha.
• The novel explores themes of white privilege, social mobility, and the search for meaning in a world facing various crises.
• It features three earnest narrators: Pip, Sasha, and Pip’s friend Viv, who grapple with disillusionment but cling to hope.
• Savage uses surreal elements, like a trash volcano and waste pirates, to critique contemporary societal failures.
• Despite its intellectual depth, the novel emphasizes the importance of love and art as messy but legitimate human experiences.