The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue-1

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Publish date: 2 June 2026
Pages: 448
Language: English

Subjects: Young Adult Fiction

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

'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


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.