The 352-page novel centres on Kaho, a 26-year-old picture book author, and is based on a four-part series originally published in Shincho magazine. It is a revised and expanded version of that series. The first instalment was translated into English by Philip Gabriel and appeared in The New Yorker in 2024.
An ebook edition will be released the same day, but a UK edition has not yet been announced. The book follows Murakami's novel 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls', published in 2024 in the UK. In October, Penguin will publish 'Abandoning a Cat', an essay about his father, translated by Gabriel.
Murakami's publisher described 'The Tale of Kaho' as his first full-length novel featuring a sole female protagonist. Murakami, 77, has faced criticism for his portrayal of women. In a 2004 interview, he said women in his stories are 'mediums – harbingers of the coming world'.
' He said the novel felt more optimistic than his previous work. Murakami is one of Japan's best-known authors, translated into about 50 languages, and has frequently been cited as a contender for the Nobel prize.