The book was raw, ugly, and unflinching. It was also impossible to find. Before the new edition, first-run paperbacks sold for hundreds of dollars on eBay.

For nearly two decades, A Diary of an Oxygen Thief existed as a ghost in the literary machine. It was a cult artifact, passed between broken-hearted twenty-somethings like a contraband manual for emotional sabotage. Then, in 2023, something unexpected happened: the book went viral again. A “new” edition hit the shelves, prompting a fresh wave of intrigue, disgust, and fierce devotion.

In 2022-2023, BookTok readers looking for “dark romance” stumbled upon Oxygen Thief . They expected a steamy, redeemable bad boy. What they got was a sociopath. The resulting outrage videos—readers crying, throwing the book across the room—drove sales. The “new” edition is marketed to those curious traumatized readers.