Dozens of devoted readers lined up outside a prominent Tokyo bookstore in the early morning hours Friday, eager to get their hands on Haruki Murakami’s newest novel the moment it became available at midnight.
The book, titled “The Tale of KAHO,” is notable for being the first full-length novel by the celebrated Japanese author to feature a solitary female lead character, according to Shinchosha Publishing Co.
Murakami shared a brief message on his publisher’s campaign website, offering readers a glimpse into the story. “Kaho, a picture book author, is just an average young woman. But truly bizarre things start happening around her,” he wrote. “I wrote this novel as I put myself in her shoes.”
The author’s comment caught many fans off guard, given that the vast majority of Murakami’s central characters throughout his career have been young or middle-aged men.
Naoyuki Yamano, who was first in line to purchase the new title, expressed his enthusiasm for the shift in storytelling. “I’m excited about finding out how the story evolves around a female character,” he said.
The novel traces its roots to a short story also called “Kaho,” which Murakami first presented at a book reading held two years ago at Waseda University — his own alma mater in Tokyo — alongside Mieko Kawakami, a well-known female author and admirer of his work. That original short story later appeared in the June 2024 issue of the monthly literary magazine Shincho.
The plot centers on 26-year-old Kaho, who goes on a blind date set up by her book editor. During dinner, her date delivers a startling remark: “I’ve never seen one as ugly as you,” despite having dated many women before. Rather than feeling hurt or angry, the curious Kaho becomes determined to understand what he meant — and soon, strange and unexplainable events begin unfolding around her.
Since that initial story, Murakami has written three additional “Kaho” installments for Shincho magazine, with the most recent appearing in the March edition. He has woven all four stories into a 352-page novel organized into four chapters: “Kaho and the Motorcycle Man,” “The Anteater of Musashi-sakai,” “Kaho and the Termite Queen,” and “The Guardian Angel, Elephant Egg and Scarlett Johansson.”
This release arrives three years after Murakami’s previous novel, “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” a story following a male protagonist as he navigates themes of love, loss, and the blurred line between reality and the subconscious.
