The Only Way Home

by Ryan Mitchel Collins

Waking from the nightmare his life has become, Charlie Porter finds himself in heaven on earth. His work and life lead him to the island of Kauai with the past dragging behind constant reminders of how he got to where he is. He attempts to make sense of his changing world and life through the lens of the places and people that got him to where he is and where he is going.

191 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 9, 2021

About the author

Authors Biography

Ryan Mitchel Collins was born on December, 29th 1986 in Craig, Colorado. He studied English Literature with an emphasis in creative writing, graduating with a bachelor’s of arts in May of 2011. His nickname amongst friends is “Doctor, Sir, and Dos por Cuatro.”
He currently lives in Wyoming where he frequently travels internationally and locally. He is an avid fisherman, and enjoys sports of all kinds. He boxed in golden gloves and junior Olympics as a young man, and ran track, as well as played football. He speaks American English, and Spanglish.

Reviews

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Discovering meaning

Wyoming author Ryan Mitchel Collins, born in Colorado, studied English Literature with an emphasis in creative writing, graduating with a bachelor’s of arts. Ryan is a frequent traveler, fisherman, and sportsman - boxing in golden gloves and junior Olympics, running track, and playing football. His writing debut - EVERYONE DIES ALONE - was a collection of eight short stories, the common thread in the strange tales being Collins' focus on the transcendental nature of the human spirit to survive and succeed against ominous odds. Each story presented the primary character with challenges that could either bury or transcend demonstrating that Collins is a person of conscience. His next book FOR THE SAKE OF TOMORROW introduced the troubled character Charlie Porter who navigated the criminal life. Now with his new novel – THE ONLY WAY HOME – we again encounter Charlie on a different level.

Ryan distills his story in his usual manner – ‘Waking from the nightmare his life has become, Charlie Porter finds himself in heaven on earth. His work and life lead him to the island of Kauai with the past dragging behind constant reminders of how he got to where he is. He attempts to make sense of his changing world and life through the lens of the places and people that got him to where he is and where he is going.’

The ongoing story is very strong, but the added pleasure is the ever-maturing quality of Ryan’s prose. At once eloquent and visceral, the character is escorted through a visual field that is radiantly alive and the progress of the story is enriching and satisfying. Even the opening lines suggest Ryan’s gifts: ‘There was never an easy way through any of it for Charlie Porter, especially the truth. For Charlie, life wasn’t about where he’d been, or where he wanted to go. To Charlie, it was about trying to be in the moment. Even when it seemed the past and the future were all-consuming entities geared towards controlling his life for eternity. “This is what life should be all about, somewhere along the line we got is all wrong,” he told himself as he stared out into the tropical night, contemplating the consequences of his life choices…’

Ryan Mitchel Collins is a fine author who deserves wide attention.

[amy gorman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Personally not my kind of read. I could not get into the book at all and a little too many political references for my liking.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended!!

[Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible