Life is pretty confusing for the teenage protagonist of Loubna Haikal's debut novel, Seducing Mr Maclean. Having swapped the war torn suburbs of Beirut for the relative peace and quiet of Melbourne, she hopes that things will be easier for her family. Gaining a place to study medicine at prestigious Melbourne University seems a sure way to guarantee everyone's future prosperity; unfortunately, things are never that simple.

At the very least, she has to combat the Evil Eye, which threatens to thwart the entire family's attempts to survive in this strange new country.