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Quick answer: If you read Diary of an Oxygen Thief, try Fight Club, American Psycho, High Fidelity and Notes from Underground. All feature unlikable men who tell their own stories with sharp honesty and little mercy.
The anonymous novel by Anonymous follows a bitter, self-destructive man who hurts women and tells the reader what he did, with dark humor and self-loathing. The books below share that confessional voice and moral discomfort. All are adult fiction, and all are real, in-print books. Many contain cruelty and abuse, so proceed with care.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fight Club | Chuck Palahniuk | Adult | male rage |
| American Psycho | Bret Easton Ellis | Adult | disturbing satire |
| High Fidelity | Nick Hornby | Adult | funny lovelorn men |
| Notes from Underground | Fyodor Dostoevsky | Adult | classic confessions |
| Less Than Zero | Bret Easton Ellis | Adult | numbed youth |
| Post Office | Charles Bukowski | Adult | dirty realism |
| Factotum | Charles Bukowski | Adult | working-class cynicism |
| Money | Martin Amis | Adult | excess and satire |
| Portnoy's Complaint | Philip Roth | Adult | confessional comedy |
| Bright Lights, Big City | Jay McInerney | Adult | city burnout |
| Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas | Hunter S. Thompson | Adult | chaotic road trip |
| Tropic of Cancer | Henry Miller | Adult | banned classics |
| Lolita | Vladimir Nabokov | Adult | dark unreliable narrators |
| The Catcher in the Rye | J.D. Salinger | Teen and adult | alienated voices |
| Rabbit, Run | John Updike | Adult | midlife flight |
1. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
An insomniac office worker forms an underground fighting club with a strange salesman. Bitterly funny and violent.
Best for: male rage.
2. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
A Wall Street banker hides violence behind designer labels. Extreme, satirical and disturbing.
Best for: disturbing satire.
3. High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
A record-store owner revisits his top five breakups. Funny, self-deprecating and far gentler than Oxygen Thief.
Best for: funny lovelorn men.
4. Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
A bitter retired official explains why he acts against his own interest. The ancestor of the unreliable, self-lacerating narrator.
Best for: classic confessions.
5. Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis
A college student returns to Los Angeles and finds a world of drugs and numbness. Cold and brief.
Best for: numbed youth.
6. Post Office by Charles Bukowski
A drunk, womanizing postal worker narrates his dull job and his chaotic life. Rough and funny.
Best for: dirty realism.
7. Factotum by Charles Bukowski
Another Bukowski novel following Henry Chinaski through a string of odd jobs. Raw and darkly comic.
Best for: working-class cynicism.
8. Money by Martin Amis
A vulgar advertising man in London and New York chases film deals and gets lost. Satirical, loud and very British.
Best for: excess and satire.
9. Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth
A man tells his therapist about his guilt and desire. Scandalous, hilarious and honest.
Best for: confessional comedy.
10. Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney
A fact-checker numbs himself with parties in 1980s Manhattan. Told in second person, fast and stylish.
Best for: city burnout.
11. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
A journalist and his lawyer drive to Vegas in a haze of drugs. Wild and gonzo.
Best for: chaotic road trip.
12. Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
An American writer lives in poverty and lust in 1930s Paris. Raw and once banned.
Best for: banned classics.
13. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
A narrator justifies his obsession with a twelve-year-old girl. Beautifully written and morally disturbing, a study of an unreliable mind.
Best for: dark unreliable narrators.
14. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Holden Caulfield wanders New York after being expelled from school. Angry, funny and honest.
Best for: alienated voices.
15. Rabbit, Run by John Updike
A former basketball star abandons his wife and child. Sharp, sad and often unlikable.
Best for: midlife flight.
How to Choose
For a similar tone, read Fight Club or American Psycho. For a gentler and funnier version, High Fidelity. For classics of self-lacerating narrators, Notes from Underground and Portnoy's Complaint. For Bukowski's rough style, Post Office. Several of these books contain cruelty, sex and abuse, so choose with care. A cautious way to explore this territory is to start with funnier, lighter choices such as High Fidelity before moving to the harder stuff. Many readers find it helpful to read a critical essay or a review before diving into books with abusive narrators, to keep a clear view of what the author is doing.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Diary of an Oxygen Thief about?
An unnamed narrator describes how he emotionally and physically abused women, then reflects on the pain he caused.
Who wrote it?
The book was published under the name Anonymous, and the author has not been publicly confirmed.
Is it a true story?
It is presented as autobiographical, but the author has never been confirmed.
Is it a long book?
No. It is short, about 200 pages.
Is it suitable for everyone?
No. It contains abuse and may be upsetting.
Is the narrator meant to be likable?
No. The book invites readers to judge him, and he judges himself.
Why did the book become popular?
Word of mouth, an anonymous author and a reputation as a cult read gave it a following.
Is it a good book club read?
It can spark strong debate about accountability, though some groups may find it too upsetting.
Are there content warnings?
Yes. It contains emotional and physical abuse, alcoholism and cruelty.
Is there a movie?
No film has been made.