Zoulfa Katouh’s The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue Blends School Bullying and Magical Realism

The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue asks readers to sit with a teenager’s experience of grief, prejudice and bullying, then lets art and friendship make room for wonder. In guest reviewer Laura Krause’s view, Zoulfa Katouh’s YA novel shows how emotionally ambitious young adult fantasy can be, pairing a painful school story with magical realism that deepens its themes.

Written by Zoulfa Katouh, the 368-page novel is scheduled for June 2026 from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. It is listed for readers ages 12 and up, with ISBN 978-0316351942.

Jihad’s difficult final year

Jihad enters her senior year at a prestigious school after her father and sister enroll her there, hoping the move will help her reach her dream university. The timing is already hard: her mother has recently died, and Jihad must adjust to a new environment where she is the only Muslim among predominantly wealthy, white students. Her year becomes marked by bullying and abuse rooted largely in prejudice.

Krause describes Jihad as brave, resilient, creative and funny, qualities that give her character dimension without making the harm she faces seem easy to overcome. The book’s account of cruelty at school left the reviewer wondering how teenagers could behave so harshly and why adults failed to protect and support students. At the same time, Krause says, the situations felt painfully plausible. That tension gives the novel’s treatment of bullying its force: the story makes space for anger and sorrow while showing how much it matters when someone steps in.

Katouh’s story also pushes back against the expectation that people targeted by prejudice should have to explain themselves to those around them. Krause highlights the novel’s insistence that responsibility belongs with people who hold power and privilege, particularly when a student’s requests for help go unanswered. It’s a pointed idea, delivered through Jihad’s particular experience rather than as an abstract lesson.

A friendship that offers breathing room

Jamie, Jihad’s closest friend, is the character Krause most enthusiastically singles out. A Muslim convert raised by his Vietnamese grandmother, he becomes a confidant and a source of steadiness as Jihad navigates her new school. Krause calls him a “ray of hope and sunshine” in a story that can be emotionally demanding, and says she found herself annotating the book with questions about what makes Jamie so wonderful.

That affection speaks to a key balance in the novel. Jamie’s support offers readers and Jihad moments of relief, but it doesn’t erase the struggle at the heart of the story. His friendship is a lifeline: a reminder that being heard and accompanied can help someone find the confidence to speak in her own voice. Krause’s response suggests that Jamie will resonate with readers who value a caring supporting character as much as a compelling protagonist.

The novel’s cultural details also left an impression on the reviewer. Jihad’s Syrian background comes through in descriptions of food and culture, while Jamie’s Vietnamese family connection adds another set of influences. Krause says she learned about both cultures, including elements of their languages and histories, and came away curious to try the Syrian and Vietnamese dishes mentioned in the book. These details help give the characters lives beyond the prejudice they encounter, grounding the story in family, memory and everyday pleasures.

Magical realism gives the story another language

The novel’s most distinctive quality, in Krause’s reading, is its use of magical realism. Jihad’s mother could speak with jellyfish, and Jihad herself is an artist who paints magical murals around the city. These fantastical touches don’t pull the story away from its emotional concerns. Instead, they give Katouh a vivid way to connect Jihad’s creativity and family history to the book’s larger themes.

Krause says magical realism can be difficult to handle well, but finds Katouh’s approach graceful and absorbing. The images of jellyfish and city murals lend the novel a sense of possibility, while keeping its focus on a girl trying to make sense of grief and hostility. Readers looking for fantasy with an intimate, character-led story may find that combination especially appealing. The magic here is woven into Jihad’s life, rather than serving as a separate spectacle.

A recommendation from the reviewer

Krause places The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue among the three best books she has read this year and says the experience has prompted her to seek out Katouh’s first novel, As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow, published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in 2022. She describes Katouh’s writing as profoundly emotional and praises the skill and heart behind it.

For teen readers, book groups and adults interested in thoughtful YA fantasy, Krause’s review points to a novel that combines difficult subject matter with warmth, cultural texture and imaginative beauty. Jihad’s story may be heavy in places, but Jamie’s friendship and the book’s magical art offer a way through it. The review’s clearest recommendation is to come for the layered fantasy and stay with the characters whose kindness and creativity help the story breathe.

Guest review by Laura Krause, an aspiring book editor with a background in live theatre. She holds a BFA in Theatre Production and Design from York University and a master’s degree in Stage and Event Management from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. She is completing the Editorial Skills program at George Brown Polytechnic.