i'm sorry i'm seeing this so late, thank you so much for the kind words!! wake is especially influenced by novels that explore the concept of the sublime, dark romanticist stories that overwhelm ordinary human scale: mountains, storms, enormous architecture, terror, infinity, death. as an agoraphobe, he's especially receptive to literature whose entire aesthetic is awe. not only does it let him encounter enormity without being physically exposed to it—he can stand on the cliff without standing on the cliff, you know?—but he's just particularly receptive to understanding the power of that type of image, to seeing both the beauty and terror in something that makes him feel small. i'm not sure if that makes sense lol he loves all kinds of genres and writers, but these are probably his top favorites:
the count of monte cristo
the hunchback of notre drame
frankenstein