Most self-published books never sell more than a few hundred copies. What’s remarkable about “Diary of an Oxygen Thief” is not the book itself, but how it slipped into the mainstream. However, it’s impossible to tell if that’s because of ineffective writing or the narrator’s narcissism. But even though he talks about his heartbreak, he doesn’t show the the emotional impact that’s expected. He is such a sadistic jerk that it’s nearly impossible not to become one too when it comes to him. The only reward for reading the entire book (instead of chucking it) is the promise that the narrator will get his comeuppance - and the reader will get to enjoy his pain.

And that’s how the book fails the reader. That’s not a demolition derby! Instead, it’s a disappointment when a crash was what you were expecting. There is only a small scuff on each bumper. There’s no loud boom, no crunching metal and plastic, no fluid hissing from under the hoods - and no shattering glass. They hit head on, but in the split second before they do, they slow to a few miles per hour. Two cars are traveling toward each other at 100 miles per hour in some twisted version of a demolition derby. It’s not written in a way that is even close to enough. But when she finally delivers the blows that level him, it’s not satisfying enough. It’s even revealed long before he introduces Ainsley to the reader. The narrator makes no secret of this throughout most of the book. To make a long-winded story short, Ainsley does to him what he did to women in London. His paranoia continues to grow when he visits New York City on business and meets the beautiful Ainsley. Among other crazy things, he believes his employer is out to get him. Instead, his narcissism continues to shine through, along with a large dose of paranoia. At this point in the story is when the narrator might have had a ‘come to Jesus’ moment or redeemed himself in some other way. While in Minnesota, he’s sober and woman-free. When his narcissism fuels a career move, he relocates from London to Minnesota, USA. He seemingly gets off on his ‘power’ to get women to fall hard for him, knowing he will subsequently break their hearts and scar them. Not physically, as he explains, but emotionally. It’s simply the story of an alcoholic, sadistic narcissist who admittedly enjoys hurting women. Reading more like a fiction novel, the book is nothing spectacular in its writing or content.

“Diary of an Oxygen Thief” was first self-published in 2006 as a purported autobiography by an unknown author.

The diary of an oxygen thief review