What do you think?
Rate this book
Prince of Lost Places
In an obsessive attempt to protect her son from the innumerable dangers of the world, Martha kidnaps him and hides in an isolated cave before reluctantly befriending a detective who has been hired to bring them back home. 15,000 first printing.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2003
About the author
Kathy Hepinstall
7 books372 followersKathy Hepinstall grew up in Spring, Texas, near the Louisiana border. Her most recent book is The Book of Polly. Polly is based, in part, on Kathy’s own mother, who has as wicked a tongue as her fictional counterpart. Kathy now lives in Portland, Oregon.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
February 25, 2012
As a teenager I read Kathy Hepinstall's first two novels. Both stand-alones, though I read the second before the first. I can't recall their plots or characters, but I remember loving the books - particularly The Absence of Nectar. The author's third novel wasn't in my library's system, and only now have I acquired it through other means.
And it's a goodie. Only 176 pages, but literature doesn't follow the same boundaries as genre fiction. Kathy Hepinstall is one of the few literary novelists I read, and Prince of Lost Places is beautiful - or at least the setting is. But it's the cave rather than the Rio Grande itself that is truly breath-taking, with its colours and formations and geological stuff. (I know nothing about rocks and natural chemicals.)
Our narrator has a lot going on in her life. To say Martha Warden is falling apart after a tragic event in her Ohio community is putting it mildly. She's well and truly off the deep end when she and her son Duncan escape on a raft down the Rio Grande to a cave that will keep both mother and sun safe from the world. But Martha never expected Andrew.
Okay, so I cheated after a few chapters, flipping to find the twist. But I only went as far as that, before I returned and read the novel properly all the way through. So the ending - the final scene - was still unexpected. I love psychological novels, and Prince of Lost Places is definitely one of those. It's a heartbreaker, though, so be warned.
Though this was published in 2002, the author's next novel is only coming out this year - expect Blue Asylum out on April 10. It involves a mental asylum, which is at the top of my list of things I want to read more about, so I'm anticipating another awesome psychological tale.
And it's a goodie. Only 176 pages, but literature doesn't follow the same boundaries as genre fiction. Kathy Hepinstall is one of the few literary novelists I read, and Prince of Lost Places is beautiful - or at least the setting is. But it's the cave rather than the Rio Grande itself that is truly breath-taking, with its colours and formations and geological stuff. (I know nothing about rocks and natural chemicals.)
Our narrator has a lot going on in her life. To say Martha Warden is falling apart after a tragic event in her Ohio community is putting it mildly. She's well and truly off the deep end when she and her son Duncan escape on a raft down the Rio Grande to a cave that will keep both mother and sun safe from the world. But Martha never expected Andrew.
Okay, so I cheated after a few chapters, flipping to find the twist. But I only went as far as that, before I returned and read the novel properly all the way through. So the ending - the final scene - was still unexpected. I love psychological novels, and Prince of Lost Places is definitely one of those. It's a heartbreaker, though, so be warned.
Though this was published in 2002, the author's next novel is only coming out this year - expect Blue Asylum out on April 10. It involves a mental asylum, which is at the top of my list of things I want to read more about, so I'm anticipating another awesome psychological tale.
June 12, 2008
You know, I just didn't see the end coming. It's a short book and kinda interesting without being fantastic, and then the end just makes you stand up and start looking for someone to force to read it. An awesome meditation on modern motherhood. Loved the whole Swiss family vibe.
September 8, 2012
Thank goodness this book is short because I was so shocked at the end I had to re- read it!! Hepinstall is not just an amazing author, she's wickedly cool.
February 3, 2026
Prince of Lost Places is my third book by this author; the first book I read by her was The House of Gentle Men over 15 years ago. Yikes. This book has been languishing on my bookshelf for ages. (Trust me, it’s not an outlier, buying more books than I could ever possibly read is a thing.)
Martha Warden has kidnapped her six-year-old son, Duncan. She has her reasons. Her husband, David, tells the detective he’s hired to find her that “She’s sick. […] Her mind has left her. She is in no condition to be wandering around somewhere.”
Martha takes Duncan to a cave someone told her about. It’s on the Rio Grande, isolated, and although Duncan misses his father, the two sort of settle into a life in the wild. Martha has planned well, packing as many of the necessities as she could manage and setting her car on fire in the desert before she and Duncan set off in a rubber raft down the river.
We know something has happened, but Martha is slow to reveal exactly what that something is. Early on she tells us about Duncan’s friend, Linda, and then she tells us that “Linda has been dead for nearly three weeks.” Is Duncan responsible for her death? David? Why have they run away?
Then Andrew arrives on the scene.
The man I saw was tall and lanky, wearing tattered, faded jeans, desert boots and a T-shirt with a plaid shirt thrown over it. A knapsack was strapped to his back. He had a narrow, friendly face and tousled light hair, and as he knelt down he paused to scratch at a full beard.
Who is this man? He claims that he, too, is trying to figure some things out and while Martha doesn’t trust him at first, he turns out to be a good listener. Soon, they become a trio.
Prince of Lost Places is a quiet and thoughtful book about motherhood, love, guilt and grief. I suppose some people will be unhappy with the end, but I thought it was terrific.
Martha Warden has kidnapped her six-year-old son, Duncan. She has her reasons. Her husband, David, tells the detective he’s hired to find her that “She’s sick. […] Her mind has left her. She is in no condition to be wandering around somewhere.”
Martha takes Duncan to a cave someone told her about. It’s on the Rio Grande, isolated, and although Duncan misses his father, the two sort of settle into a life in the wild. Martha has planned well, packing as many of the necessities as she could manage and setting her car on fire in the desert before she and Duncan set off in a rubber raft down the river.
We know something has happened, but Martha is slow to reveal exactly what that something is. Early on she tells us about Duncan’s friend, Linda, and then she tells us that “Linda has been dead for nearly three weeks.” Is Duncan responsible for her death? David? Why have they run away?
Then Andrew arrives on the scene.
The man I saw was tall and lanky, wearing tattered, faded jeans, desert boots and a T-shirt with a plaid shirt thrown over it. A knapsack was strapped to his back. He had a narrow, friendly face and tousled light hair, and as he knelt down he paused to scratch at a full beard.
Who is this man? He claims that he, too, is trying to figure some things out and while Martha doesn’t trust him at first, he turns out to be a good listener. Soon, they become a trio.
Prince of Lost Places is a quiet and thoughtful book about motherhood, love, guilt and grief. I suppose some people will be unhappy with the end, but I thought it was terrific.
July 7, 2022
So, this author is my new obsession. This is the 4th book I’ve read by her in the past few months. I will say this is not my favorite, but that’s not to discredit the story or the writing. I still recommend it; I just like her other books better, so far.
This book is quite clever, actually, and a worthy tale of suspense. It’s a quick read, at only 176 pages; and trust me—you’ll go back and reread several pages after you finish it. I love books like this where I miss things the first time through. I do think she rushed the ending and there are a few key pages near the end with embarrassingly weak dialogue, but despite that, I do believe it’s worth your time. The cover is awful; none of her book covers are worthy, in my judgey-book-cover-opinion. What were they thinking in the artistic department!? Her publishing house failed her in that regard, which may account for the fact that I think she’s UNDOUBTEDLY a BRILLIANT writer, but no one in my reading world, including me, had ever heard of her until someone (THANK YOU!!!) placed a copy of The Book of Polly in our LFL. (That’s my favorite, so far.) Then I was hooked and ordered used copies of EVERYTHING she’s ever written. I’m on to her next book soon.
I also commend this author for taking so many writing risks—though her brilliant writing shows up in all of her books so far, and she loves strong women and men who redeem themselves, no two books have been alike so far. That’s not easy, as so many authors either get pigeon-holed or allow themselves to fall into lazy, familiar tropes. This author is different. And, without a doubt, worthy of your time. I’m thrilled to add a new favorite author to my shelves.
This book is quite clever, actually, and a worthy tale of suspense. It’s a quick read, at only 176 pages; and trust me—you’ll go back and reread several pages after you finish it. I love books like this where I miss things the first time through. I do think she rushed the ending and there are a few key pages near the end with embarrassingly weak dialogue, but despite that, I do believe it’s worth your time. The cover is awful; none of her book covers are worthy, in my judgey-book-cover-opinion. What were they thinking in the artistic department!? Her publishing house failed her in that regard, which may account for the fact that I think she’s UNDOUBTEDLY a BRILLIANT writer, but no one in my reading world, including me, had ever heard of her until someone (THANK YOU!!!) placed a copy of The Book of Polly in our LFL. (That’s my favorite, so far.) Then I was hooked and ordered used copies of EVERYTHING she’s ever written. I’m on to her next book soon.
I also commend this author for taking so many writing risks—though her brilliant writing shows up in all of her books so far, and she loves strong women and men who redeem themselves, no two books have been alike so far. That’s not easy, as so many authors either get pigeon-holed or allow themselves to fall into lazy, familiar tropes. This author is different. And, without a doubt, worthy of your time. I’m thrilled to add a new favorite author to my shelves.
January 8, 2023
My favorite by this author though I'd never heard of it. The ending made me sit holding the book in my hands and questioning everything. Absolutely loved it. Quite an unexpectedly delicious adventure.
October 29, 2017
Too weird for me...at least it is short
March 23, 2020
Je me réjouissais de la fin, j'ai tout vu venir d'avance. Dommage, parce que ça aurait pu être un bon livre.
January 26, 2022
Really good book. A surprise ending that made me reread book.
January 31, 2024
Het is een prachtig aangrijpend boek. Met een verrassend einde dat het hele boek in een ander perspectief zet. Ik was er best even door in de war.
September 22, 2007
It would probably be more accurate to call this book a novella rather than a novel, not so much because of the length (barely 200 pages) but because of the pace at which it moves along.
When tragedy strikes the school her little boy Duncan attends, Martha takes him to the wilderness to live in a cave, her way of sheltering him from all the things that could ever harm them. Living in a cave, she continues to tell her son that his dad will be along eventually, lying to keep him happy, adamant that she can't go back because he's "crazy."
When Andrew shows up, Martha finds herself trusting him more and more with her son and falling in love with him. She had no idea that he's actually the private detective her husband hired, nor does she know about his own demons.
Though a good read, it's also a strange one. The flow of the words is lyrical and haunting, yet the content is quite head shaking and a little bit formulaic (I figured the ending out about ten pages into the book...that might just be strong foreshadowing though). Characters are only mildly developed and the plot moves along quickly. Hepinstall relies on imagery and the pushing of character thoughts to tell her story rather than the fact that the reader will relate to the characters.
When tragedy strikes the school her little boy Duncan attends, Martha takes him to the wilderness to live in a cave, her way of sheltering him from all the things that could ever harm them. Living in a cave, she continues to tell her son that his dad will be along eventually, lying to keep him happy, adamant that she can't go back because he's "crazy."
When Andrew shows up, Martha finds herself trusting him more and more with her son and falling in love with him. She had no idea that he's actually the private detective her husband hired, nor does she know about his own demons.
Though a good read, it's also a strange one. The flow of the words is lyrical and haunting, yet the content is quite head shaking and a little bit formulaic (I figured the ending out about ten pages into the book...that might just be strong foreshadowing though). Characters are only mildly developed and the plot moves along quickly. Hepinstall relies on imagery and the pushing of character thoughts to tell her story rather than the fact that the reader will relate to the characters.
October 23, 2013
In de buurt van De jongen in de gestreepte pyjama stond dit boek, net zo dun maar eens zo donker van kaft, het lettertype even groot.
Aha, nog meer schakel-je-hersens-uit-lectuur!
Think again.
Martha trekt met haar zoontje Duncan weg van de bewoonde wereld nadat de conciërge op zijn school zichzelf had opgeblazen en daarbij ook één kind gedood en anderen gewond had. Ze wil haar zoon beschermen tegen al het kwaad in de wereld, en besluit te gaan wonen in een grot op de grens van Mexico en Amerika.
Intussen heeft haar man, David, een detective ingeschakeld om zijn gekke echtgenote terug te vinden, maar Will (die zichzelf Andrew noemt) wordt verliefd op Martha.
Dan duikt David op, gek van zorgen, en probeert Martha te overtuigen terug met hem mee te komen naar huis. En dan neemt het verhaal een verrassende wending - damn zeg, die had ik niet zien aankomen!
Heb het boek in één ruk uitgelezen. Spannend, meeslepend, maar het doet allemaal een beetje onwerkelijk aan, zo'n vrouw in haar eentje die gemakkelijk overleeft in de wildernis...
Aha, nog meer schakel-je-hersens-uit-lectuur!
Think again.
Martha trekt met haar zoontje Duncan weg van de bewoonde wereld nadat de conciërge op zijn school zichzelf had opgeblazen en daarbij ook één kind gedood en anderen gewond had. Ze wil haar zoon beschermen tegen al het kwaad in de wereld, en besluit te gaan wonen in een grot op de grens van Mexico en Amerika.
Intussen heeft haar man, David, een detective ingeschakeld om zijn gekke echtgenote terug te vinden, maar Will (die zichzelf Andrew noemt) wordt verliefd op Martha.
Dan duikt David op, gek van zorgen, en probeert Martha te overtuigen terug met hem mee te komen naar huis. En dan neemt het verhaal een verrassende wending - damn zeg, die had ik niet zien aankomen!
Heb het boek in één ruk uitgelezen. Spannend, meeslepend, maar het doet allemaal een beetje onwerkelijk aan, zo'n vrouw in haar eentje die gemakkelijk overleeft in de wildernis...
March 24, 2010
Very well written book, again. Kathy is a rare author that you all should read.
This is again, a somewhat dark book.It will make you think and it keeps you hanging the whole way through. It's good stuff.
This is a repeat of my other reviews of her, I know. But it's worth saying again:
Kathy has a way with words. She's a throwback to times when well written books also meant that the language used was musical, almost like coherent poetry. That's how Kathy writes; it's a trait you will find in all her books.
Kathy has a gift for immersing the reader in vivid imagery. She blends the environment into her stories in such a way as to add color and substance to the experience enhancing the story. So many writers detract from the story by trying to describe the glorious landscape or the fetid living conditions. Kathy is one of the only authors that I have read that really gets it right.
This is again, a somewhat dark book.It will make you think and it keeps you hanging the whole way through. It's good stuff.
This is a repeat of my other reviews of her, I know. But it's worth saying again:
Kathy has a way with words. She's a throwback to times when well written books also meant that the language used was musical, almost like coherent poetry. That's how Kathy writes; it's a trait you will find in all her books.
Kathy has a gift for immersing the reader in vivid imagery. She blends the environment into her stories in such a way as to add color and substance to the experience enhancing the story. So many writers detract from the story by trying to describe the glorious landscape or the fetid living conditions. Kathy is one of the only authors that I have read that really gets it right.
July 17, 2009
This was another dollar bin grab that turned out better than I anticipated. When a child is killed at her son's school, Martha thinks it's too dangerous to let Duncan return. In a fit of paranoia, she kidnaps him and hides away in a cave far from society, where no one can find them or hurt her son.
What transpires is just brilliantly written. I guessed at the ending and was happily correct, but the reading was enjoyable and kept me turning pages all the way to the end.
What transpires is just brilliantly written. I guessed at the ending and was happily correct, but the reading was enjoyable and kept me turning pages all the way to the end.
April 21, 2007
This tale has elements that I normally detest in a book: it switches voice from one character to another, in first person, and it has an ambiguous ending. The novel, however, is a compelling story of a mother who goes to extremes to protect her son from the dangers of the normal world by whisking him away to a cave on the Rio Grande. It left me asking how far I would go to protect my children.
September 10, 2007
This book was had me thinking it was going in one direction the whole way through. It wasnt until the last chapter that everything switched with a complete shocker. It was so good that I am now reading the very first book the author ever wrote and plan to read all of her work in hopes that they are as intriguing as this was.
March 18, 2009
Sad. Scary. The ending genuinely surprised me, though I should have seen it coming, really; the author played fair. I kept expecting/hoping that Marsha really was somehow sane, really did have a good reason for fleeing her husband, though her actions and reasonings were irrational - a son who would never attend school, meet people...
But the folie a deux was a bit much to expect.
But the folie a deux was a bit much to expect.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2010
Gave this book my 10 rating. After a tragedy at her son's school results in a death of a child. Martha, a young Ohio mom kidnaps her son under her husband's nose late one night and takes him to live in a cave on the Rio Grande.
October 26, 2014
I found this book when I was a kid on vacation in Missouri in a little bookstore. The title and cover intrigued me. I couldn't put the book down it was a great read. The ending got me! I might be a sucker but I didn't expect that.
August 16, 2007
GREAT book - would recommend this highly - an author not that well known - hort book - quick read - would appeal to women.
December 23, 2008
A very interesting take on how one woman deals with a harmful incident at her son's school. She is mental enough that she removes her son from school and keeps him in a cave.
August 9, 2011
Interesting premise, but I figured out the ending too soon. This would be a good book for a younger reader, I think.
January 18, 2012
This book was awesome. It had me guessing and thinking throughout. The characters are very likeable as well. Great read! The end made me want more though, a second book... :D
June 10, 2012
Awwwww! What a great fast read. A story of love and a tradegy that drives a mother into the absolute extreme or is it madness!
June 25, 2012
Sad, surprise ending. Boy and mother. Mysterious.
August 20, 2012
i liked this book....not as well as House of Gentle Men, though. it was well written, and the reader really got to know the mai character, but it was a bit disturbing to me.
December 12, 2013
A brisk read, with an interesting plot (mother takes off with son to hide in a cave after a violent incident at the son's school), but an unsatisfying and abrupt ending.
March 21, 2014
This was a quick and easy read about a mother's never-ending love for her son in a dangerous, untrustworthy world. I liked the book.
May 22, 2016
Lets us know that when mass shootings happen some of the people who lose loved ones lose themselves too.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews