Haruki Murakami is set to release a new novel, “The Tale of KAHO,” on July 3, marking his first full-length work in three years and the first in his career to feature a female protagonist. The novel follows 26-year-old picture book author Kaho as she navigates a surreal world filled with puzzling encounters.

The story’s central character, Kaho, described as ordinary in appearance and intellect but deeply curious, embarks on a quest to understand a mysterious comment made by a man who tells her, “I've never seen one as ugly as you.” Rather than reacting with anger, Kaho becomes intrigued, prompting a series of strange events that challenge her perception of reality. A promotional teaser from Shinchosha Publishing Co., which is releasing the novel, states, “I must find the way out of this world,” signaling Murakami’s signature blend of the fantastical and introspective.

This novel continues Murakami’s exploration of themes such as identity and perception, but with a notable shift in perspective. His previous work, “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” featured a male protagonist grappling with issues of love, loss, and the boundaries between consciousness and the subconscious. According to the publisher, “The Tale of KAHO” is the first of Murakami’s full-length novels to center on a lone woman protagonist.

The narrative originally began as a short story titled “Kaho,” which Murakami first presented at a reading event two years ago at Waseda University in Tokyo, his alma mater. The event was notable for including Mieko Kawakami, a prominent Japanese author and admirer of Murakami’s work. The story was first published in the June 2024 issue of the literary magazine Shincho.

Since then, Murakami expanded the story into a series, releasing three additional installments in Shincho magazine, most recently in the March 2026 issue. These include “The Anteater of Musashi-sakai,” “Kaho and the Termite Queen,” and “Kaho and the Motorcycle Man, and Scarlett Johansson.” The initial story was translated into English by Philip Gabriel and published in The New Yorker in 2024.

The forthcoming novel brings these four parts together in a 352-page volume, offering readers a more extensive and unified experience of Kaho’s journey through Murakami’s distinctive narrative world.