TOKYO – Haruki Murakami’s first novel in three years, The Tale Of KAHO, will be released in Japan in July, marking the first time a woman takes center stage as the main character in one of his full‑length novels, his publisher Shinchosha announced on a dedicated website on April 23. The 77‑year‑old Japanese author, best known for Norwegian Wood (1987) and Kafka On The Shore (2002), has built a global reputation for weaving surreal, introspective stories about loneliness and the absurdity of modern life, with his works translated into some 50 languages.
The novel follows 26‑year‑old children’s picture‑book author Kaho, described as “neither outstandingly beautiful nor smart but with a rather strong curiosity,” who is approached by a male stranger who bluntly tells her: “To be honest, I have never seen anyone as ugly as you.” Rather than reacting with anger or shock, Kaho is “purely surprised” and begins to wonder what the man is trying to tell her, setting off a chain of “bizarre events” around her. The setup fits the trademark “Murakami world” aesthetic, where readers have grown accustomed to giant frogs battling office workers and schools of mackerel falling from the sky.
Murakami, long regarded as a leading contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature, last published the novel The City And Its Uncertain Walls in 2023. With The Tale Of KAHO, fans will be watching closely not only for the emergence of a female protagonist but also for how the author channels his signature blend of melancholy, mystery, and magical realism through a new kind of central voice.