Travelphan by Ryan Astaphan

By: Anonymous on Tuesday, July 09, 2013

Title:  Travelphan

Author:  Ryan Astaphan

Published:  December 12th 2012

Page Count:  248

Genre:  Non-Fiction

Shelf:  Review Copy

Rating:  ★★★★

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Everything that has happened in your life has lead you to where you are now. The events of Ryan Astaphan's life lead him halfway across the globe. Made miserable by his job and debilitating injuries, Ryan set out to Asia in order to find happiness. Ryan embarked on a spiritual and physical journey through India, Thailand, and China. He would practice yoga, kickbox, change lives, and live in a remote kung fu academy.

Travelphan is a psychological, intimate, and inspirational story told in a modern voice. Utilizing short chapters, Travelphan is an easy read for the text message and status-update generation. Travelphan is a book like none other.

Adult-content rating: This book contains content considered unsuitable for young readers 17 and under, and which may be offensive to some readers of all ages.

My Review:

This is a very heartfelt story. It’s heart wrenching at times, heart-warming at others, and always real.

The writing style that Astaphan employs really draws you in because it’s so natural. At times you forget that this is a true story. I was so wrapped up in what was going on and how it was presented that I felt like I was in another world. The raw emotion really comes through the writing. My biggest issue with the writing was that it flips from the 1st to the 3rd person in a manner that breaks the otherwise captivating flow of the story.

Astaphan presents those that he met in a realistic and tactful manner. You get to know them well enough that you can see how they fit into the author’s life, but time is not wasted needlessly on superfluous details. Through all of this you also find out a great deal about the author himself. Details are in the margins. Based on his interactions with others and the tasks that he sets for himself, amazing strength of character shines through.

However distant your experiences are from those experienced by the author, his writing and his approachable manner make everything easy to picture and relate to. This was definitely a life story that you have to read.

Buy your copy online here today!