Sputnik Sweetheart Sputnik Sweetheart Author Haruki Murakami Original title ( if not in English ) スプートニクの恋人 Spūtniko no koibito Translator Philip Gabriel Country Japan Language English Genre ( s ) General Fiction Publisher Harvill Seeker ( UK ) / Knopf ( US ) Released Japan 1999 / UK April 2001 Media Type Print ( Paperback ) Pages 229 ( UK paperback edition ) ISBN 186046825 Preceded by Underground Followed by after the quake Sputnik Sweetheart ( スプートニクの恋人 , Spūtoniku no koibito ? ) is a novel by Haruki Murakami , published in Japan in 1999 . An English translation by Philip Gabriel was published in 2001 . Sputnik Sweetheart is essentially a three-character novel . Uncharacteristically slim for a Murakami novel , it is the first novel in which Murakami explores lesbianism in depth , though the principal themes are still familiar ones to the Japanese author 's faithful following : the effects of prolonged loneliness and alienation , growing up emotionally stunted in a densely populated and overwhelmingly conformist society , and the conflict between following one 's dreams and clamping down on them in order to assimilate into society . The heroine of the novel is an aspiring author named Sumire , who falls in love with an older woman , Miu , who appears to like Sumire for certain qualities , though she has no time for Sumire 's aspirations and ideals . The third character is the unnamed narrator , an elementary school teacher , referred to once by Sumire only as 'K' , who is in love with Sumire , though Sumire does not requite his feelings . While Sumire is an emotional and spontaneous individual who often appears to be a misfit in society , `` K '' , the narrator , is a person who has through sheer force of will moulded himself into another person , one who integrates seamlessly into the wider society and culture around him , and the transition leaves him emotionally stunted and unable to express his feelings . When Sumire is also , through her interaction with Miu , forcibly shaped into a person other than she is , the transformation is neither permanent nor successful , and Sumire disappears without ever being found or seen again while holidaying with Miu in Greece , with tragic , haunting consequences for Miu in particular . The book 's major themes include loneliness and people 's inability to truly know themselves or the people they love . This is symbolized by the recurring metaphor of the Sputnik satellites orbiting at a distance from the earth . As in The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Dance Dance Dance , Murakami uses ( or rather , suggests ) alternate worlds as a plot device . `` K '' , the narrator , is a markedly different protagonist to those of Murakami 's other novels . He is considerably less given to or adept at wisecracks , maintains a respectable and stable profession as a schoolteacher , and is less self-confident and much more introverted and conflicted than any other Murakami protagonist . Many elements of the plot remain deliberately unresolved , contributing to the idea that true knowledge is elusive , and actual events of the story are obscured in favour of the characters ' perceptions . The book ends with the theme of the Telephone , which appears in numerous books by Murakami , usually when telephoning from a far-away place , whose location is unclear . Categories : Japanese novels | 1999 novels | Books by Haruki Murakami In other languages : 日本語 Sputnik Sweetheart スプートニクの恋人 Spūtniko no koibito Philip Gabriel Haruki Murakami Japan English General Fiction Harvill Seeker ( UK ) / Knopf ( US ) Japan 1999 / UK April 2001 Print ( Paperback ) 229 ( UK paperback edition ) 186046825 Underground after the quake Sputnik Sweetheart スプートニクの恋人 Spūtoniku no koibito 