The Diaries of an Oxygen Thief

Hurt people hurt people. In a shockingly honest account, a man details his past as an abusive alcoholic and his intoxicating, painful, and dangerous relationships with women. 

Published anonymously, The Diaries of an Oxygen Thief trilogy delves into the inner mind of an addict with a legacy of pain. The debut novel, Diary of an Oxygen Thief, opens with the narrator and protagonist, an Irish advertising executive living in London, describing the pleasure he used to get from emotionally abusing women. After attending AA meetings and being forced to confront the horrors he inflicted on girlfriend after girlfriend, the narrator feels a measure of remorse and intense self-loathing. When he moves to the United States, he grapples with even more problems—culture shock, the absurdity of corporate America, unsettling changes in his socioeconomic status, and paranoia. Then, he meets an alluring aspiring photographer in New York City and falls in love. Has he truly recovered from his impulse to welcome cruelty into his intimate relationships? In the follow-up, Chameleon in a Candy Store, he slips back into his manipulative habits and adds online deception. At turns darkly hilarious, deeply twisted, and sobering, this fictional (or is it?) series presents a startling portrait of modern-day love.

Narrated by the anonymous author, Diary of an Oxygen Thief and its sequels are brutally honest in a way that only being a voice from the shadows allows. The nameless voice is steady, frank, and unflinching, never shying away from the outrageous and repulsive acts detailed in each audiobook. His delivery pulls the listener into the inner workings of a devious, cunning, and damaged mind.

While the author remains unknown, it is clear that he is intimately familiar with the situations he portrays. Whether or not his story is “true,” the writing is nonetheless an impressively honest portrayal of abuse, alcoholism, and mental health issues, and how they affect relationships.

Kicking off with Diary of an Oxygen Thief, an underground cult favorite and a New York Times best seller, the series has been described by New York Magazine as “kinky, artsy, and swoon-worthy.”