Waist Deep by Linea Maja Ernst

A group of friends from university; seven summer days in a cabin in rural Denmark. A chance to swim, sunbathe, flirt, read and spend time together like the old days.

At least that’s what Sylvia had hoped. But when Gry turns up with her kids and Esben and Karen announce their wedding, Sylvia is left wondering what happened to the radical ways of living they envisaged at university. Plus, she is nursing a decades-long crush on Esben, that her monogamous, long-term girlfriend Charlie won’t 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 there are children with bedtime routines. While sparks fly around the dinner table, Gry is feeling banal among her colourful, eccentric friends. Unusually, she’s 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.

As the week progresses, discussions and flirtations intensify. A modern midsummer night’s dream for the new generation, Waist Deep adds a sensuous, ethereal flourish to the perennial what is the best way to live and love as you get older?

‘Waist Deep might be this literary year’s first full fledged miracle’ Berlingske

‘A perfume dream of a debut’ Politiken

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