Waist Deep

byLinea Maja Ernst, Sherilyn Nicolette Hellberg (Translator)
A luscious summer novel about friends, lovers, and friends' lovers

‘Clever, wry, and incredibly sexy’ SUSANNAH DICKEY


Five friends from university; seven summer days in a cabin in rural Denmark. A chance to swim, sunbathe, flirt, read and mess around like in the old days.

At least that’s what Sylvia had hoped. But when her friends arrive with real jobs, kids and partners, Sylvia is left wondering what happened to the radical ways of living they embraced at university. Worse, Esben and Karen announce their plan to get married at the end of the week, striking a blow to Sylvia’s simmering, decades-long crush on Esben – a crush that her monogamous girlfriend Charlie would definitely not approve of.

Whilst the group swim, sunbathe, cook and flirt their way to midsummer night, desire and anxiety swirl in equal measure. As the wedding day approaches, will they achieve their arcadian dreams or will everything come tumbling down?

'Delicious, and provocative' ESTHER FREUD

‘Sensuous and vivid, simmering with sexual tension and with an undercurrent of deep longing... A book to devour' LAURA KAY

'Trembles and flashes with hot emotion, confusion and pangs of longing. I loved its cast of characters' AMY KEY

‘Linea Maja Ernst writes about sexual desire so well that it turns her readers on’ Weekendavisen

Waist Deep is such an enjoyable read: clever, wry, and incredibly sexy. In Linea Maja Ernst's gorgeous prose, translated superbly by Sherilyn Hellberg, the clotty intersections of desire, ideology, and ennui are explored in the most vividly luxuriant surroundings. I was totally besotted with these characters, and desperate for a dip in a lake by the end.

Susannah Dickey

About Linea Maja Ernst

Linea Maja Ernst is a staff writer at the Danish newspaper Weekendavisen, where she writes about literature, pop culture and private life. Waist Deep is her debut novel and was an instant bestseller on first publication in Denmark in 2024.
Details
  • Imprint: Vintage Digital
  • ISBN: 9781529954395
  • Length: 224 pages
  • Price: £7.99
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