Why is this novel being viewed with much interest? Well, because in Murakami’s writing career so far, this novel will be the only one to focus entirely on an individual woman protagonist. In this novel, Kaho, who is 26-year-old and a writer of picture books, is confronted with a strange reality unfolding before her.

As per information released by Shinchosha Publishing Co., Kaho will become the first female character to feature in any of Haruki’s novels independently. A writer known for his imaginative male protagonists like in The City and Its Uncertain Walls, Kaho will bring about a change in the writer’s style.

Actually, The Tale of KAHO originated from a short story named Kaho that Haruki had narrated along with popular Japanese novelist Mieko Kawakami in a reading session at Waseda University in Tokyo.

Kaho is presented as an average girl who is not outstanding either in beauty or intellect, although she is fascinated with learning the secrets of this world. However, her life undergoes a change following an unpleasant experience at dinner where a man humiliates her with some rude remarks about her appearance. Rather than being irritated or angered, Kaho finds herself obsessed with unraveling the meaning of those words, which takes her on a trip to strange places and situations.

From a teaser from the novel one can predict that the book will keep Murakami's style. The main character Kaho says, "I must find my way out of this world." This promise is quite familiar to fans of the Japanese writer.

In addition, the author wrote some other stories connected with this plot that were later included into the novel. They appeared in issues of Shincho magazine. Among them are The Anteater of Musashi-sakai, Kaho and the Termite Queen, Kaho and the Motorcycle Man, and Scarlett Johansson. All of them have already been integrated into a novel consisting of 352 pages.

The Tale of KAHO offers the readers a new hero with whom they are supposed to experience all the mysteries created by Murakami.