Diary of an Oxygen Thief was first published in 2006, and the author has remained anonymous since the very first publication.
The story has soared in popularity for many years now, and even sparked some controversy with an interesting first line that reads, “I liked hurting girls. Mentally, not physically,” that strikes the reader instantly with off-putting honesty.
This anonymity of the author is one of the most important pieces of the story as a whole, seeing as the work is presented as a memoir, the author’s rawest moments laid bare for the reader to devour. We later learn that this is not the case, that the author and the first-person recount are different people.
And yet, with all that we are left with after completing the story, we still know nothing about the author’s true identity.
The story details a harrowing story about the effects of alcohol addiction, as well as navigating romantic and platonic connections. He runs through women viciously and goes so far as to ‘destroy their souls’ by his recount. As the story is written in a first-person perspective, the reader is able to draw a more personal connection with the events of the story.
A moral dilemma surfaces when dealing with the author- for his actions against the women he encounters and even the woman he first loves are despicable and wrong, and yet, you find yourself rooting for him and hoping he makes it out. He is guilty, sick of his own actions that occur as an after-effect of his addiction, and this is reflected even in the title. He is so guilty he feels he does not even deserve the oxygen he breathes.
As a whole, the story is a detailed depiction of the modern-day, real-life horrors that can plague a person, and most definitely worth the read.
This is the first of three books in the series: which can be followed by the titles Chamaeleon in a Candy Store, and Eunuchs and Nymphomaniacs.
You can purchase Diary of an Oxygen Thief and the rest of the series here.