Diary of an Oxygen Thief

Book, 2006

Premise – Whether or not this is a piece of fiction, or a retrospective journal, is a complete mystery to me. But at the very least, it’s a (fictional?) memoir from an anonymous narrator reflecting on his life of inflicting emotional pain on women, and his emotional response to the pain that gets inflicted back.

Review – It’s one of the most fascinating phenomena any piece of art can experience – controversy. This novel averages out at about 3/5 stars on most websites, but a closer look reveals that almost every single review is either one star, or five stars. Rarely in between. Anybody who looks at those statistics knows they are dealing with something interesting.

I identify more with the “five star” group. This novel is a fascinatingly disturbing exploration of the human psyche, with particularly revolutionary insight into males with predatory tendencies. It is a little unsettling how realistic it is, and though the book is stated to be a work of fiction, the author is so convincing that I’m frightened that this was actually an autobiography. For my own sake, and the sake of the female victims of this story, let’s just say from this point forward that I’m examining a piece of fiction, and not the real-life diary of a psychopath. Regardless, I stand by the fact that it’s an important novel. The individuals who rated this “one star” were caught up in the narrator’s immorality, and to that I say, whether or not this person actually thought this way – I’m grateful for the depth and quality of insight into a different mindset. The narrator may be a terrible person, but at least I understand him, and that is invaluable. I just hope it’s fictional.

The author has one of the most striking written voices I have come across in a long time. Because it was a short novel, I was able to I read it at a pace as if there was a male voice in my head speaking the words aloud. Though deeply disturbed, and an unreliable narrator, our “protagonist” is one of the most fascinating characters I have ever explored. Deeply paranoid and vastly overcomplicated, his take on social interactions seems pointlessly exhausting for someone like me. Everything is a game. Everyone has ulterior motives. Every moment of body language, every facial expression, and every word means something which hints at something else which implies something else which at its heart means something else. If every interpersonal relationship requires this much rumination, no wonder he’s so miserable. (92/100)

Quote - There's so many good ones that I have to list a few:

"Hurt people hurt people."

"They say the sea is actually black and that it merely reflects the blue sky above. So it was with me. I allowed you to admire yourself in my eyes."

"We are not punished for our sins, we are punished by them."

If you liked this book, I'd recommend The Stranger!

Author: Anonymous
Publisher: V Publishing