Wayland High Grad Releases First Novel

You won't find many cacti in Wayland, but that didn't stop a Wayland High School alumna from granting the prickly succulent a prime role in her first novel.

"Drowning Cactus," by 1996 WHS graduate Carrie Russell, hit e-bookshelves on July 26 and is the debut novel for the environmental attorney and humor blogger, according to a press release.

The story follows Gordon Burstein, whose attempt to steal a cactus is mistaken for an eco-protest, sending him on the run with a national spotlight tracking close behind. 

Burstein flees across the country, with media and authorities attempting to corral him. In particular, disgraced environmentalist Mora Sullivan, heads into the desert in an attempt to track down the man she's fallen for and find her own inspiration.

Burstein and Sullivan find they must "survive the wilderness, evade the law, and confront the many lies they’ve told the world and each other—all before they attempt to rescue a truckload of cacti from drowning in a New England swamp," according to the release. 

“This book is very much inspired by Massachusetts’ environmental community, although the activists are far quirkier—and more bumbling—than any you’ll meet,” Russell explains in the press release.

The prequel to "Drowning Cactus," ""The Break-In" is available as a free download from Amazon during the weekend of Aug. 2-4.