Fans and journalists stayed up all night just to get a copy of writer Haruki Murakami's latest novel, details of which have been kept a secret.

There was a lot of mystery surrounding Haruki Murakami's latest novel, "Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage." Up until the book's publishing, nothing but the title of the book had been revealed. In spite of this, the author's fans lined up all night outside bookstores in Tokyo just to get their hands on a copy of the novel.

No sooner was the book published, critics, broadcasters and newspapers began posting reviews of the book, as even the plot of the novel had been kept under wraps. This was Murakami's first novel after three years and early reviews of the novel have been very positive.

An NHK journalist called the book "gripping" and said he was already half way through it while Michiko Mamuro, a bookstore employee in central Tokyo, revealed she completed reading the 370 pages in a couple of hours. She also said that the book revolved around the March 2011 earthquake, nuclear meltdown and tsunami. "I got the impression that Murakami faced the disaster head on," she told the Asahi Shimbun. "The book is filled with strong messages and many encouraging words."

Murakami's refusal to reveal anything about the book in advance also drew some sour comments online.

One Twitter user claimed he didn't need to read the book to know the storyline. "It's about a man who is smart but lonely, has no friends, but somehow attracts women and makes spaghetti," he speculated.

A publication date for the book in English has not yet been announced.