So true! Odd that, in order to (try to) put his reader into the mindset of a real Anglo-Saxon person post–Norman shitshow, Kingsnorth totally abandoned the forms and conventions of storytelling that real Anglo-Saxons would have observed.

Oh man this was a treat. I've been dying to hear a more informed opinion of the language in The Wake since I read it in April. My chief problem with the book (and whoever so desires can read the entirety of my problems with it here) is that the 'shadow language' made it truly difficult to get immersed in the story and characters. I wonder whether the more nuanced changes you guys suggest would have thinned that barrier a little bit – though I don't know if anything could help me get over what an esol Buccmaster is throughout. Thank you for expounding!

If caffeine isn't doing it for you, might I suggest exploring on your own? There is nothing like heading into a strange city by yourself (bonus points if you don't speak the language) to keep you awake, simply by virtue of the urgent threat that being unconscious in the middle of a public space poses on your safety and well-being.

Try also: deep knee bends.