Product Description A marvelous hybrid of mythology and mystery, A Wild Sheep Chaseis the extraordinary literary thriller that launched Haruki Murakami’s international reputation.
It begins simply enough: A twenty-something advertising executive receives a postcard from a friend, and casually appropriates the image for an insurance company’s advertisement. What he doesn’t realize is that included in the pastoral scene is a mutant sheep with a star on its back, and in using this photo he has unwittingly captured the attention of a man in black who offers a menacing ultimatum: find the sheep or face dire consequences. Thus begins a surreal and elaborate quest that takes our hero from the urban haunts of Tokyo to the remote and snowy mountains of northern Japan, where he confronts not only the mythological sheep, but the confines of tradition and the demons deep within himself. Quirky and utterly captivating, A Wild Sheep Chase is Murakami at his astounding best.
Fantastically OddNovember 10, 2008 This gem of a novel was required reading for a world literature class I took. I waited until the last minute to read it, but it ended up being a breeze to get through because it was so fantastically odd. I would not be the least bit surprised to find out that Murakami was a Stanley Kubrick fan. I fully intend to check out the rest of his work.
FailureOctober 22, 2008 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
After reading the first 3 chapters of "Choke" in a bookstore, I realized I couldn't subject myself to the narrative torture of another Palahniuk. I had been eye-balling "Kafka on the Shore" for quite a while, and with high hopes for this author, I figured I should start with his first novel.
Personally, I think Murakami's highlight is in some of the one on one dialogue scenes in the first half in the book. Possibly the best scene in the book is when he first meets the girl with the mysteriously beautiful ears. The two seem to be passing a hot potato of clever remarks back and forth.
Unfortunately, from there on, she is constantly referred to as "she" (Murakami lacks a name for any of his characters) and she serves absolutely no purpose other than to take up space on the pages. Along with the character's unexplainable attraction to the girl's ears, there are a plethora of plot elements which just don't connect together. The plot itself doesn't start until after a much too expansive sort of orientation into the character's normal life. And it ends with a series of vague dialogues, description of snow on the ground, and the character drowning himself in a pool of melodramatic self-pity.
It's quite a colorful book, but if it were a painting, it would be some abstract that makes no picture, (other than maybe a big sheep in the middle) and doesn't have a lasting image in the viewer's mind.
a wild sheep chase, a while fantasyOctober 5, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
there are many types of people in this world, but this review simplifies them into just two, the ones who love murakami work and the ones who dont. my guess is that there would be a fairly sizable contingent on either side.
others have reviewed the book fairly well. i would like to suggest that you read the first 5 pages of the book, before you decide to buy it. it may save you some money if you are not one of those who love it.
the story of this book if said in a plain vanilla fashion would sound absurd and perhaps even boring. However murakami puts things across in such an amazing way that it feels nothing short of fabulous. i loved it and i hope you enjoy it too.
A Wild Sheep Chase indeedAugust 13, 2008 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Japan, 1978; after a brief introduction of our un-named main character and his own description of a casual fling he had with a former classmate that has recently died we are brought forward 8 years to 1978. Now 29 years old and partner in an add agency. A friend had sent him a postcard with an unusual picture in it and asked that the picture be used in something that would be viewed by a lot of people. What our protagonist doesn't know is that captured in the picture is a sheep that isn't supposed to exist in Japan and a very powerful politician/business man is very curious as to the whereabouts of the sheep. With the threat of financial ruin placed over his head, our protagonist sets out with his new girlfriend to locate the sheep...
"A Wild Sheep Chase" is another interesting story by Murakami. This is my third encounter with Murakami, with "Kafka on the Shore" being my first and "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle: A Novel" up being the second. When comparing the 3, "Kafka" stands out as the best with "Wind Up" bringing up the rear. For those not familiar with Murakami, his books are filled with metaphysical elements, and mythological elements. His characters tend to be very average people caught up in situations that are much larger than they themselves are. The protagonist from "A Wild Sheep Chase" is no different. He is a very average person who begrudgingly takes on the task for no other reason than he really doesn't have anything else to do.
The Good: The characters, even though very average for the most part, are still very interesting. Murakami's writing is full of the main character's internal musings which are as crazy, or more so than your own internal dialogue. The story itself and the character building aspect of it unwind in an interesting and atypical way. There are lots of metaphysical and mythological aspects that add to the Japanese flavor of this book which is one of the things that I enjoy about Murakami.
The Bad: Nothing memorable for me.
Overall: Enjoyable book and if you haven't tried Murakami before this may be a good place to start.
Brilliant writing, won over a skepticJune 23, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Usually the second something happens in a novel that separates it from reality, whether it is visions of the dead or aliens invading the earth (just to name examples, not that both those things happen in A Wild Sheep Chase) I start to dislike a book. But Murakami's calm, reasoned, well-described mysterious quest on which he sends his main narrator overcomes my usual distrust of the unbelievable in books and I was willing to enjoy and even love the novel despite its slightly fantastical twist(s). Murakami's characters are fresh--you can see pieces of people you have met or know, but his characters are unique, the plot proceeds despite the completely illogical assignment given to the main character, and the bad luck on the quest makes the happy coincidences that much more easy to swallow. The descriptions of landscape and weather lend authenticity and depth to the novel. There are many traces of Japanese culture in the characters, but the stories and characters are universal. Murakami defies description, he blends so many threads of brilliant writing together. I highly recommend this novel!
