''Quarry'' is a novel by

Ally Kennen Ally Kennen (born 1975) is a British author of adventure novels for children and teens. Some of her books have been marketed as thrillers and they may be classed as horror fiction. She was born in Somerset and grew up on a farm in the Exmoor r ...

published in February 2011. Until the delivery date, the book was planned to be called "Rites", but on 27 February 2010, the name was officially changed to "Quarry".

Plot

Scrappy, a 15-year-old boy, lives in a breaker's yard next to the motorway and is being sent crazy anonymous dares. Once he gets caught up in them, he finds he can't stop, no matter how much he wants to, and the last challenges send him to the very edge.

Reception

The novel was well received by reviewers. Mal Peet, writing for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', praised "Kennen's narrative method"; stating that from the plot synopsis itself the novel may be seen to be "unremittingly bleak", however states that "the combination of point of view and pace urges the reader so swiftly on that there simply isn't time for the novel's

Grand Guignol ''Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol'' (: "The Theatre of the Great Puppet")—known as the Grand Guignol–was a theatre in the Pigalle district of Paris (7, cité Chaptal). From its opening in 1897 until its closing in 1962, it specialised in natura ...

imagery to become ponderous"; concluding that "her grip on noir is as muscular as ever". Philip Womack, for ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'', found the novel to be "involving and scary" and called it an "ultra-modern story with a twist". The novel received a B rating from ''Wondrous Reads'' youth-fiction review website, with reviewer Jenny finding the novel to be a "fast-paced ... story of dares and boundaries". She found it to be "tense and genuinely chilling"; but did, however, state that while she found it to be "a refreshing read with a sinister twist", she further felt that "''Quarry'' isn't for those of a nervous disposition!".

References

{{reflist Novels by Ally Kennen 2011 British novels