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Diary of an Oxygen Thief

Anonymous

In the tradition of Alcoholics Anonymous, Diary of an Oxygen Thief is written by anonymous author, a custom that works well in the AA world but not so well in the publishing world as the reader has every right to wonder if Diary of an Oxygen Thief is fiction or nonfiction.  As the author admits to delight in hurting women he dates while in his alcoholic years, the revelation might not sit well with his high-paying job at a high-powered ad firm that he somehow stepped into after leaving the squalor of a London flat. The work takes him to Minnesota and New York working with big name clients. So he has every reason to be anonymous if the book is really nonfiction.

The author who is Irish, begins his woman dating, woman hurting spree in London and describes with delight how cruelly he ditches one girlfriend after another, enjoying their pain. And it seems, at least to the author in the fog of alcohol, they all suffered immensely from his rejection. They must have thought him quite a prize until the awful moment of reckoning.

Then he goes to the States and makes big bucks as an advertising executive while enjoying five years of sobriety accompanied by, to the relief of a sensitive reader, celibacy. Finally, in New York he meets a photographer—a beautiful Irish woman named Aisling--and falls completely in love. Aisling maintains a cautious distance, which only enhances his obsession for her and her alone.

Finally, in a bizarre barroom setup, Aisling turns on him and makes a fool of him. This scene and rejection could be considered Aisling’s revenge and justice for the dozens of women he harmed although the narrative does not reach that level of thought.

His alcoholic preoccupation with women is well documented in his graphic depiction of sexual acts and body parts. It does provide a glimpse into the obsessive mind characteristic of the alcoholic mind and the philandering mind. The book is short and an easy read, so if you don’t like it, your investment is minimal.

Gallery Books; Reprinted June 14, 2016

Paperback: ‎ 160 pages

ISBN-10: ‎ 150115785X

ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1501157851