I read a lot. I have read most of the American classics and a plethora of other famous novels. To be honest, you could put a piece of literature in front of me that has the worst reviews ever and I would probably still read it.
I see reading to be a form of therapy and many novels have impacted my life in more ways that I can count. However, I have recently come across what I believe is the best piece of writing that I have ever read in my life. Diary of an Oxygen Thief is comical, rigid and raw. It is filled with explicit phrases and classically humorous events. The author, who remains unknown, made me understand multiple aspects of my own life and it shocked me that it took a novel as brutal as this one to do so.
The main character, presumably based on the anonymous author, is an alcoholic. Can I say I relate? Of course not, but lets be honest. Reading about all of his drunken mistakes makes anyone recall their own. Yet he allows us to laugh with a chuckle that is pure and nonchalant. There is a subtle boost of confidence associated with his misfortunes as a PR worker in the media. Being an undergraduate in college, I certainly found similarities from feeling like all eyes are on you when you mess up. He makes that difficulty a little more bearable, however, by taking each of his scenarios that many would cringe at and literally saying who cares? He reminds us that life cannot, and I'd like to stress that word, take life too seriously. There is a constant theme of beauty in life's fuck ups, a sheer thrill in going all the way with something and a true sense of happiness with just living. The inspiration that this piece of writing has impacted me with is incredible because I find it so rare and unique in today's society to find someone as blunt as this author.
We need that, as humans. We need someone to say that they have had multiple experiences all over the spectrum of good and bad that have shaped who they are today. This book taught me that you can say all of that without regret and there is nothing more real than that. It is a book for anyone struggling with who they are, because, hey, we are all nosy and want to read about others misfortunes, terrible sex, and the lust to succeed with limited resources and mental obstacles.
I give a daunting amount of credit to the author, as I do not believe I have ever read a book that is more real than this one. When I look back on my college career, the entirety of my early twenties even, I will associate it with the lessons that this whirlwind of a novel taught me. The only unfortunate part is, the unknown author will never know how many lives he has potentially touched by his telling of just living his life.
I would very highly recommend this book to anyone that is pondering upon a difficult time in their life, past difficult times, or have just reached a point where they don't know where to head from here. Trust me, it will help you more than you know.
