It’s September and the university halls are buzzing with fresh faces and excitement for the year ahead. Not for Melina Xydakis, new to Scotland, new to the university, and new to the situation of being a child of divorce. For the past three years in Greece, Melina has had to watch her parents struggle to save their marriage. Now she’s here for a fresh start, though the prospect of dealing with the unfamiliar university environment and finding new friends fills her with dread. She decides to focus her nerves in a diary, filling the pages with her experiences. An extrovert she is not. 

Not like Miranda, the beautiful and lively girl she meets in the same residence hall, or Liz, her next-door neighbour who is wild and outspoken. Nor too like Sean. For Melina, there is nobody like Sean, whom she notices in the first few days of term. And although Sean and Miranda get together, Melina’s romantic heart yearns for him to notice her, even when Miranda warns her his light surface hides dark depths. As those closest to her play out their own dramas, except for Kevin, a new friend, who remains steadfast through it all, Melina is consumed with finding out Sean’s secret. But will it ruin everything? 

Nadia Maran has worked in higher education for more than thirty years. She has taught and authored several academic books and papers in English and her native language (Greek). This is her debut.