A review by specificwonderland
Diary of an Oxygen Thief by Anonymous

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Ok I found this book from a tiktok trend where you type in "book" and the the first book that comes up is algorithmically aligned with you and you'd probably like it. This was my book. 

When I started it, I thought 'How strange Tiktok aligned me with this book,' because it was ruthless and violent and mean. I do read those kind of books and I'm not sure how Tiktok knew that. I was kind of bored though - after Cows, I feel like violence for the sake of violence (especially against women, perpetrated by a man) is boring. Change the record. I'm tired of that. What an uninspired tale. But this book pulled out of the lurch! The guy was a piece of shit for awhile but, just like in real life, sometimes people change. 

He got sober. He stopped inflicting senseless violence against women. He moved and started over. He is now a workaholic. He stays focused. He goes to AA. I was rooting for him. Which is why the 2nd half was such a shock. He is slowly duped in a karmic twist, just like he describes in Saving Private Ryan. Just because he's changed doesn't mean everyone around him is benevolently rooting for him, or just quietly ignoring him. No he attracted another psychopath with his pheromones or wounded puppy archetype. This was pretty good! I was really wondering where it would end, and I found the ending satisfying. I would watch a movie of this!