The Color of Our Names

by Mahitab Mahmoud

Who are you when no one is watching?

Across Alexandria, Cairo, and New York, four lives unfold in quiet defiance of the worlds that shape them. Fareed learns to live between desire and devotion. Far from home, Nelly searches for belonging in unfamiliar light. Christina senses a truth blooming before it has a name. Nouran claims independence while holding love gently, and at risk.

In moments of silence, tenderness grows. In restraint, hope persists. As faith and longing intertwine, each life moves toward the possibility of being seen-not all at once, but in color.

The Color of Our Names is a lyrical novella about identity, love, and the quiet hope that survives even in the shadows. Every identity carries a color-some bright, some carefully hidden.

Genres: Egypt, Middle East

110 pages, Paperback

Published February 20, 2026

About the author

Mahitab Mahmoud is an author and educator whose work centers on identity, silence, queerness, and the emotional cost of living between cultures. The Color of Our Names is her most intimate and personal work to date. Through four intersecting lives, she writes about the weight of secrecy, the quiet defiance of self-discovery, and the courage it takes to exist authentically in societies that demand silence.
Mahitab is also the author of When Silence Shatters: A Collection of Short Stories, which received a 5-star review from Readers’ Favorite. Her writing explores the inner worlds of women, men, and LGBTQ+ individuals across Egypt and its diaspora, focusing on the quiet corners where oppression, identity, and longing collide. The Color of Our Names continues her ongoing exploration of what it means to be seen, to belong, and to survive emotionally in worlds that force you to hide.

Reviews

[Sherine Youssef]

I'm so glad I got to read this book. It gave me assurance and let me know I'm not alone. Although each character is fighting a war that nobody knows about, there's something inspiring and enlightening. I cried, laughed, and felt for every one of the characters.

[Nermeen H]

Raw, full of heart, and brimming with hope.

[Rosemary]

I found this novella engaging and it made me challenge my own experience and try to think about others in different cultures. There are so many things in life that we can take for granted. These stories made me rethink how someone's sexuality can continue to be an aspect of their self which needs to be disguised. The stories made me feel sad and ashamed that we often have such rigid rules about life.

I liked the stories but felt that the writing sometimes didn't quite work and I am not sure why that was.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Bookguide]

“Living in fear knowing who you are is still better than living in oblivion—blindfolded, crashing into every wall, pretending to be someone you’re not.”

I really enjoyed reading this fictionalised glimpse into Egyptian life as it is for LGBTQ people. It focuses more on the individuals’ feelings and coping strategies than on traumatic incidents or confrontations. The trick is secrecy and avoidance rather than major upheavals or statements of gay pride. The best thing is that the writing is so good that it is easy to read, even though there are four main protagonists, each with their own families and friends to keep track of, and chapters switch between them one by one until the grand finale. For a 100-page novella, it packed a lot in without feeling overwhelming.

The novella is set in Egypt and the Egyptian diaspora. In a country where homosexuality simply isn’t acknowledged, where even the terms gay and lesbian are not talked about, people who are attracted to someone of the same sex have nowhere to go. They often have to live double lives. They may be rejected by family and friends, or forced to marry. Even a relationship with a non-Muslim may not be allowed in certain circles. Some escape abroad, or work in a city far from family where they can pretend to share accommodation with their partner for financial reasons.

Mahitab Mahmoud explores a range of experiences, switching between four young individuals of different ages and their relationships. How can you even know you are homosexual if you don’t have the words to describe it? When even the internet blocks the relevant search terms. Fortunately, some people are more accepting, and there is a glimmer of hope. Social media is one way that people can connect, and the book ends with a meeting that brings all our protagonists together in an uplifting way.

This review reflects my honest opinion after reading. My thanks to the publisher and the author for allowing me to read a digital ARC of The Color of Our Names via BookSirens.

Book dedication:
“To everyone who has ever loved in silence,
lived in fear of being outed,
or carried two names in one heart.
Love is what brings us together.
Love is what sets us free.
Love wins.”

[Ian]

“That’s when she taught me the forbidden words-the words that helped me see myself clearly for the first time. But here...” she paused, her eyes drifting to the sea, “it’s different. Even the existence of those words is forbidden.” - Excerpt

My heart pounded its way through the pages as I consumed the whole book in what feels like minutes… though at times I had to put it down to remember that I needed to breathe.

If you relate to the people in these stories, it feels unforgettable. It touches the unseen parts of the heart that are longing to burst free and to live in the light. Mahitab Mahmoud captures the darkness in which so many hearts still walk, when people put religion over love.

I cried. I smiled. This book placed colors over my heart that feel like joy... A heavy, fought-for joy.

[Kasen]

This novella is incredible! So beautiful and poignant and I absolutely loved how it all connected at the end. I read this at the exact time I needed to and it helped me so much. I highly recommend everyone to read it!

[Chris]

This novella brought together a collection of queer stories and voices set mostly in Egypt. It was a quick read, though not always easy because of the situations the characters were wrestling with, and that's not a bad thing!

My enjoyment was limited by the form of the text. Each individual story was interesting and the ending makes sense. However, it felt fragmented as it jumped from one narrative to the next. For me, I would have enjoyed this more as a collection of discrete short stories and that form would perhaps have given more room for development of the characters, as well.

I think, overall, I felt that there was a lot of potential with this material, but I was left a little disappointed with the execution. That said, I would eagerly read whatever Mahmoud writes next!

With thanks to BookSirens and the author for the eARC in exchange for a review.

[Farah Youssef]

I loved the book so much. It's very inspiring and assuring.
The events feel so real while reading. I felt like I could live every story in the book myself.
Waiting for more books from Mahitab. She's really influential.