Waist Deep

byLinea Maja Ernst, Sherilyn Nicolette Hellberg (Translator), Montserrat Lombard (Read by)
Waist Deep might be this literary year’s first full fledged miracle’ Berlingske

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 wedding, striking a blow to Sylvia’s simmering, decades-long crush on Esben – a crush that her monogamous girlfriend Charlie would definitely not approve of.

Within the rest of the group, desire and anxiety swirl in equal measure. Quince finally feels at home in his body and is ready to rave, but Gry’s kids have bedtime routines that get in the way. And Gry has also brought her husband Adam, the poster child for a heterosexual masculinity Quince can’t decide if he wants to tear down or tie down.

An instant bestseller in Scandinavia and now translated into ten languages, Waist Deep is a modern midsummer night’s dream adding a sensuous, provocative flourish to the perennial question: does growing up have to mean giving up on your dreams?

‘A perfume dream of a debut’ Politiken

‘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: 9781529957426
  • Length: 338 minutes
  • Price: £14.00
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