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The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue

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The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue

By: Zoulfa Katouh
Narrated by: Victoria Nassif
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Bloomsbury presents The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue by Zoulfa Katouh, read by Victoria Nassif

What if you felt like you'd cried all the colours away? The heart-wrenching new story of friendship, loss and identity from the author of international bestseller As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow.

''Devastating and luminous' Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

'A powerful exploration of injustice, identity, and the radical act of making oneself feel seen' Publishers Weekly (starred review)

'A modern classic about what it means to live, to hope, to despair, and to keep living despite everything.' Ann Liang, author of I Hope This Doesn't Find You

'An incredibly tense, unpredictable read' Booklist (starred review)

Joining an exclusive high school should be a fresh start for Jihad after her mother’s sudden death. But she's the only Muslim student there; her hijab and even her name make her new classmates suspicious.

Only one person treats her with kindness but Jihad can’t help questioning his motives. It’s hard to trust anyone when she meets indifference or hostility all around her. As tension mounts, she finds refuge in an old sketchbook and in the stories her mama used to tell her. She is determined to focus on making it to art school and a brighter future, but as she starts illustrating her mother’s memories, her canvas becomes bigger than she could ever have imagined.

Can Jihad become as resilient as the true meaning of her name, and let the colour back into her life?

'A gorgeous magical story about the power and strength we find in our grief' Huda Fahmy, author of Huda F Are You?
'A powerful, ­unflinching ­exploration of ­Islamophobia, identity, and grief' School Library Journal

An unputdownable story about family, friendship, grief and trust from a masterful writer of the genre.©2026 Zoulfa Katouh (P)2026 Hachette Audio USA Coming of Age Difficult Situations Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Racism & Discrimination Tear-jerking
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Critic reviews

A searing portrait of a Syrian American teen navigating grief, identity, and systemic injustice in contemporary America ... Magical realism, rooted in a maternal ­lineage of gifted women, adds lyrical depth without overwhelming the contemporary narrative. Katouh’s prose captures the weight of ­systemic ­oppression and the fierce resilience it takes to survive. A powerful, ­unflinching ­exploration of ­Islamophobia, identity, and grief. An essential purchase for all collections.
I loved this story. I saw myself so clearly in Jihad. Her grief, her loss, her joy, her love. It felt so familiar, so close to home. It's so beautifully written. Zoulfa paints with words, and I expect nothing less from. Because when you give Zoulfa Katouh a pen, magic happens. This is a story about loss, but at its core it is a gorgeous, magical, and heart wrenching story about the power and strength we find in our grief. (Huda Fahmy, author of Huda F Are You?)
A modern classic about what it means to live, to hope, to despair, and to keep living despite everything. With her signature lyrical prose, Zoulfa Katouh paints an achingly beautiful portrait of a young girl in grief and in love. Brace yourself—there will be tears, and they will be worth it. (Ann Liang, author of I Hope This Doesn't Find You)
Jihad’s self-erasure and gradual reclamation of her confidence resonate deeply, and Katouh renders the bullying she endures with honesty. The portrayals of Syrian American identity, Muslim faith, and diaspora experiences are authentic and lyrical, and Jihad and Jamie’s relationship, rooted in shared longing and cultural questioning, is tender and well-paced.

Devastating and luminous.
A powerful exploration of injustice, identity, and the radical act of making oneself feel seen.
All stars
Most relevant
this book takes you on a roller coaster of emotions, an absolutely brilliantly written story which draws on topics which are uncomfortable but so very necessary to talk about openly in society.

thought provoking and brilliant

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