A new novel by Haruki Murakami is set to break new ground, marking the first time the celebrated writer places a female protagonist at the center of a full-length work, following her journey through a strange and surreal world.
Titled The Tale of KAHO, the book is scheduled for release on July 3 in both print and digital formats. It follows Kaho, a 26-year-old picture book author navigating an increasingly bizarre reality.
This will be Murakami’s first novel in three years, following The City and Its Uncertain Walls, which explored themes of love, loss, and the blurred boundaries between reality and the subconscious through a male protagonist. According to Shinchosha Publishing Co., Kaho is the first standalone female lead in any of Murakami’s full-length novels.
Also read: Scarlett Johansson turns producer for ‘The Nanny Diaries’
The project originated as a short story titled “Kaho,” which Murakami first presented at a reading event at Waseda University, his alma mater in Tokyo, alongside noted writer Mieko Kawakami. The story was later published in the June 2024 issue of the monthly Shincho magazine.
Kaho herself is described as an ordinary woman in both appearance and intellect, yet driven by curiosity. During a dinner with a man who bluntly tells her, “I’ve never seen one as ugly as you,” she reacts not with anger but confusion, prompting her to search for a deeper meaning behind his words. This moment becomes a turning point as she begins to encounter increasingly surreal events in her life.
A promotional teaser hints at the novel’s tone, with Kaho declaring, “I must find the way out of this world,” signaling a return to Murakami’s signature blend of the uncanny and introspective. The author expanded the original concept through additional stories published in Shincho magazine, including “The Anteater of Musashi-sakai,” “Kaho and the Termite Queen,” and “Kaho and the Motorcycle Man, and Scarlett Johansson.”
An English translation of the first story, rendered by Philip Gabriel, appeared in The New Yorker in 2024. Bringing these interconnected pieces together, Murakami has reworked and expanded them into a cohesive 352-page novel, giving new depth and continuity to Kaho’s unusual journey, the publisher said.
Follow us
