A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami
A Wild Sheep Chase
by Haruki Murakami
“The song is over. But the melody lingers on.”
“You always had a way of putting things.”
“Just showing off,” I said.
I am not disappointed.
The feeling that you get when you read Murakami’s A Wild Sheep Chase lingers on long after you have turned the last page. It’s so beautiful. So deep. So unique in every aspect. I’m so happy I came upon this novel. So happy that the sheep cover interested me so much to the point that I could not stop thinking of it. I don’t even mind the fact that the cover I wanted (the one with the black star, not this red one) wasn’t available.
A Wild Sheep Chase centers around an unnamed protagonist who was coerced on a quest to find a sheep that may or may not exist. He finds different people on the way. A girl with godly ears, a right-wing politico, a sheep professor and a guy in sheep outfit, all of them meant to help him find what is truly waiting for him at the end of the chase.
I don’t know how to summarize it better than that. The story’s pretty simple, really. A guy was threatened and forced to find a sheep. That’s the main point. But the way Murakami writes, the way he molds his characters…it seemed as if the sheep chase isn’t the main point. After you get over the question, “Of all animals, why sheep?”, the next main attraction are the conversations centering around humanity. It got me thinking and when a novel stirs my mind, it’s usually a good sign.
I won’t pretend that I understand everything in perfect sense. The “Boss”‘s secretary makes me confused and gives me headaches, with his way of talking and using big words. I’m not sure if the sheep is supposed to be an analogy or if it was based on a myth. If it were the former, then of what? What is Murakami liking the sheep into? Intelligence? Power? People’s desires that sometimes go way overboard? Murakami mentioned Genghis Khan at one point, too, about how there were rumors he was ‘sheep-ed’. I’m trying to search about that, actually. If there really were rumors of Genghis Khan being ‘sheep-ed’, then this makes Murakami’s novel all the more special and interesting. I like novels that are set in a background of a myth or a fairy tale or something with the same idea.
I also like how Murakami didn’t give his characters any names. None of them were given a name. It’s so quirky and adds to the uniqueness of the novel. I loved the idea of not giving the characters names so much that when I started reading Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go I was surprised when the character introduced herself. I didn’t realize that Ishiguro and Murakami are different authors with different styles of writing. It’s unfortunate, really, that I started Murakami’s novel first before Ishiguro’s because I’m starting to look for the same unique factors in Ishiguro’s novel, one that can rival Murakami’s and I have, so far, not found it yet. But that’s another story altogether. I have not finished Never Let Me Go yet therefore I cannot judge.
I don’t think I can give Murakami’s novel justice so I’ll just stop here. I’ll just ask you and beg you to please, please, please read this novel until the end. (It was when I was nearing the end that I was really resolved to give this a rating of no less than 5 stars) It was- and is- worth the wait and worth being broke for.
Rated 5/5
Eh, it was okay. I didn’t like how it ended up. I thought it would go in a different kind of direction.
If you haven’t read it yet, go with Norwegian Wood. Definitely Murakami’s best unless you like the surreal stuff. You might be disappointed since there is none of that here.
Thanks for the suggestion!
Actually, I was planning on buying all of Murakami’s works.
But with my luck and all, that might not be possible.
There’s still a sequel for this, right? Have you read it? And did you like it?
Dance! Dance! Dance! right? No I haven’t read it. Wild Sheep Chase is also a sequel to another book, but Murakami I think said he doesn’t want to release it in English because it’s not as polished.
I prefer Murakami’s short stories more than his novels. He has a lot of good ideas but sometimes his stuff just drags on and many times it just doesn’t make sense, but maybe that’s just a part of his style.
Norwegian Wood is, I’m told, his most realistic novel. It’s essential a romance story, but it’s good and I really found the story and characters very memorable.
They actually made it into a movie recently in Japan.
Funny you should mention that none of the characters have any names, actually whenever I write a story I try to avoid naming characters. What was it about no-naming that you liked in the story?
Also, to think that tonberryking would be reading and commenting on the same blog that I was, its a small world or something.
Avoid naming characters? Really? I always thought naming characters is essential and that the names should fit the character. I never thought of the possibility of not naming characters. A Wild Sheep Chase is the first novel that I have read with all the characters having no names so the concept of no-naming is new to me. Naturally, anything that is new interests me. Add that to the already unique (for me) idea of finding a sheep and I’m already in love with Murakami’s style of writing.
I loved both books but I have to say I loved Never Let Me Go so much better. Murakami’s books are more of an acid trip; but Never Let Me Go seems to reach right INTO you. The thing is, both of them are quite experimental authors and well, I didn’t think A Wild Sheep Chase was his best work. I liked Norwegian Wood the most of all his books; but if you do want that acid trip feeling, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World is also awesome. But please judge Never Let Me Go on its own because it’s /fantastic/.
Love, love, all of Murakami’s books! “The Wind Up Bird Chronicle” is my favorite. I am due to reread “A Wild Sheep Chase” soon.
I super super adore Murakami’s work. I’ve read almost all his books except A Wild Sheep Chase and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. I find these two rather difficult for me to read, perhaps I have no vivid imagination!
Anyway, Dance Dance Dance is actually the sequel to A Wild Sheep Chase. It’s quite an easy read compared to A Wild Sheep Chase. My all time favorite are Wind Up Bird’s Chronicles and Norwegian Wood. I hope you enjoy his work, as much as I do!
I read them a few years ago.. most stories are still vividly etched in my mind. In his words, the melody lingers on and on and on..
The Wild Sheep Chase is a sequel of a novel The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, which in my own opinion is the best of all his works. Not naming characters makes complete sense if you read the first novel. Actually everything in Wild Sheep Chase make more sense if you read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle first. Norwegian Wood and Dance!Dance!Dance! are good but more a simple and definitely good book to start with Murakami. The two mentioned above are very surrealistic, but I think this is what makes Murakami’s literature so special.
Wild Sheep Chase is not a sequel to Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. In fact, it was written before Wind-Up. Wild Sheep Chase is his third novel and the first two are not available because he doesn’t think they are good enough. Dance, Dance, Dance is a follow up to Wild Sheep Chase, but as far as I can tell, those are the only two novels of his that are directly related and DDD can stand on its own without WSC.
Hi,
This novel is the last part of the “Sheep” trilogy. The first two are Hear the Wind Sing and Pinball, 1973. If you haven’t read them, please do so. Then you will further understand the relationship of “me” and his best friend Mouse. Yes, Dance, Dance, Dance is the sequel, but I feel a bit hesitant to include that into the same group as Dance Dance Dance was written much later than the first three. Anyway, have a happy reading!
You shouldn’t try to compare Ishiguro with Murakami. Ishiguro practically spent his entire life in Britain and still lives there I think. If you wanted to read Japanese authors he barely qualifies.
I look forward to reading this book. The only Murakami I’ve read is Norwegian Wood and some short stories. I’m interested that it wasn’t until the end that you really loved it. About 2/3rds through Norwegian Wood I thought it was just a really well written coming of age story, but by the end it was one of my favorite books.
Yes. I recently read that Ishiguro spent most of his time in Britain. It’s just the feeling after reading A Wild Sheep Chase that kind of mixed my opinion when I started reading Never Let Me Go hours after finishing A Wild Sheep Chase. It’s hard to explain but you kind of create a higher standard if you start with a very good book and then start reading another. Kind of like how, after reading good books, you find it hard to appreciate the novels that you used to like before because you realize it can’t compare with the ‘good book’.
I like this book just as you, even if I didn’t quite appreciate it as much as the sequel of it (I’m talking about ‘Dance, dance, dance’ of course). Unfortunetly I read the last one first (wich is real better I think), but thanks to your post now I can try to consider it in a different and deeper way. Actually I prefer to consider the 2 books as a whole, and in that sense I’m sure that we’re talking about a… perfect novel. Thank you.
Well, if you liked Wild Sheep Chase that much then you MUST read Dance, Dance, Dance immediately. It is a follow up to WSC and frankly, it’s a lot better. In fact, DDD is my favorite Murakami. It’s just wonderful.
I am totally completely addicted to H Murakami
I believe I have read every single book written by him which has been translated into french.But it seems that I missed one with
Norvegian Wood .It might not exist in french.But I will certainly try to find it
Wow this blog post sure is popular. wonder why.
It was featured on Murakami’s facebook fanpage. I practically had a heart attack…all those new comments in one day…