Haruki Murakami's new novel "Kaho" has topped South Korea's bestseller list following its official release, after leading pre-order sales. Attention is turning to how long the momentum can last for what is seen as effectively the only major anticipated title in the year-end book market.
"Kaho," released in Korea on the 21st, ranked first on Yes24's overall bestseller list for the third week of October, covering the 15th through the 21st, the online bookstore said on the 25th. The book, which began pre-orders on Sept. 29, also took the top spot in the first week of October, from the 1st to the 7th. It slipped to fourth in the second week, from the 8th to the 14th, before reclaiming the top position as sales picked up with the official release.
Readers in their 40s are driving demand. According to Yes24, women in their 40s accounted for 22.5% of buyers on the day of the official release, ranking first among age-and-gender segments, followed by men in their 40s at 16.9%. By age group alone, buyers in their 50s made up 23.8% and those in their 30s 19.4%.
"Kaho" is Murakami's first full-length novel in three years, following "The City and Its Uncertain Walls." It follows Kaho, a 26-year-old picture-book author who moves to a town on the outskirts of Tokyo and becomes entangled with beings from another world — an anteater, a jaguar and a termite queen — as she works to resolve a crisis facing her family. The book has also drawn attention as Murakami's first novel with a woman as its sole protagonist. Published in Japan in July, it sold 300,000 copies in four days.
Munhakdongne, the Korean publisher of "Kaho," said the book went into a second printing six days after pre-orders began and is now in its third printing. "Initial sales of 'Kaho' are on par with the previous work, 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls,'" an official at the publisher said. "Murakami's works have at times felt somewhat difficult as they move between reality and the unreal, but this new novel has a simple, clear story and is shorter, so it should serve as a good introduction for readers encountering Murakami for the first time."
Murakami's 2009 novel "1Q84" reached No. 1 on the overall bestseller list as soon as pre-orders opened and held the top spot for 20 weeks, while "Killing Commendatore" and "The City and Its Uncertain Walls" led the list for five weeks and three weeks, respectively.