#bookrec

Oops! Clearly, my listening comprehension skills still leave something to be desired ;-;.

Here is a reuploaded version. 🖤 Apologies! @nicosraf

Rafael Nicolás - Angels before Man

Diary of an Oxygen Thief is a dark, confessional psychological novel that explores obsession, emotional manipulation, guilt, and self-destruction through the eyes of a deeply unreliable narrator. More than a romance, it's a disturbing character study about someone who mistakes cruelty for control and intimacy for power.

The novel follows an unnamed Irish advertising executive living in the United States who openly admits that he once took pleasure in emotionally hurting women. After years of toxic relationships fueled by arrogance and insecurity, he unexpectedly falls in love, only to experience the same heartbreak he once inflicted on others. As his carefully constructed sense of superiority crumbles, he is forced to confront his past behavior and the emptiness beneath it.

One of the book's biggest strengths is its voice. Written anonymously, the novel reads like an unfiltered diary, making the narration feel raw, intimate, and unsettling. The prose is sharp, darkly humorous, and brutally honest, pulling readers into the mind of someone who is both self-aware and deeply flawed. The narrator isn't written to be admired, and that's exactly what makes the book so compelling.

Readers often praise the psychological depth and the exploration of toxic relationships, narcissism, addiction, and emotional vulnerability. The novel doesn't offer easy redemption or clear moral lessons. Instead, it challenges readers to sit with an uncomfortable protagonist whose actions are often frustrating, selfish, and destructive.

That said, Diary of an Oxygen Thief is an extremely divisive book. Some readers consider it brilliantly written and thought-provoking, while others criticize it for being repetitive, self-indulgent, or lacking meaningful character growth. Because the narrator is intentionally unlikeable, many people struggle to connect with the story at all. Reading it can feel less like following a plot and more like being trapped inside someone's therapy session before they agreed to attend therapy.

Overall, Diary of an Oxygen Thief is a provocative and psychologically intense novel that will appeal to readers who enjoy unreliable narrators and character-driven fiction. It's not a comforting read, but it's one that often sparks discussion long after the final page.

For my upcoming book release!

I swear, every time I pick up an April Kerner book, I tell myself I’ll take it slow and then end up binging the whole thing in one night. Her stories just hit different—they’re emotional, messy, and so real that I feel like I know her characters personally.

After reading Boys with Secrets, I thought, “Okay, there’s no way she can make me feel this much again.” Then I read Boys with Braces, and now I’m just sitting here, fully invested in these fictional people like they’re my actual friends. Lazar? Riley? John? I’d defend them with my life.

I love how Kerner doesn’t shy away from difficult topics but still gives us those heartwarming, swoon-worthy moments that make me believe in love again. Her writing has this effortless way of making you feel everything—the angst, the joy, the absolute devastation (because yes, I did cry).

currently reading: ‘the husbands’ by holly gramazio

The writing is quite good.

I enjoyed gradually discovering the point of the framing device.

The vast majority of the expats are adorable.

Really wish portions of the plot didn't require the protagonist to stop asking pertinent questions and become deeply passive in the middle.

Truly wild that Barack "the arc of history is long but it bends towards justice and thus incrementalism my one true love is the path forward" Obama would recommend a book so firmly of the belief that there is not merely no arc to history but that one must firmly grasp the tiller to amend what has gone wrong.

All of the food Gore makes sounds very tasty.

Recommendation for the general public: it's not very long, and is quite an enjoyable read. It doesn't really care that much about how time travel works, so don't be turned off if you have trouble tracking multiple timelines.

Remember to take care of yourself and check the CW's for these books, especially the horror list.

19.10.24

Reading Japanese classics is so oddly comforting(?) I know it sounds insane as most of them consist of sensitive topics but sometimes some lines are so good, it makes you want to squeeze your own heart until it ruptures, it makes your head spin in circles leaving you numb and unable to think any further while the line that you just read echoes like a haunting whisper in the dark.