A Surreal and Fantastic Book

This is a truly surreal and fantastic book, very much in the style of Murakami.

It tells a crazy adventure of the hunt for the wild sheep. The title "Wild Sheep Chase" is a play on the expression "Wild Geese Chase", which in Portuguese means "chasing wild geese". The story begins with a phone call and a perfectly ordinary photograph of a landscape with mountains, clouds, meadows, and thirty-three sheep.

There is a supernatural sheep in the story, or perhaps it is a metaphor for something that has the power to change people and the world.

The book takes the reader on a journey full of strange and wonderful events, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. It makes the reader question what is real and what is not, and leaves them with a sense of wonder and mystery.

Overall, this is a book that is sure to appeal to fans of Murakami and anyone who enjoys a good dose of the surreal and the fantastic.

"Have your ears ever exerted a power over anyone other than me?
You want to know whether my ears have special powers?"

These curious lines are from Haruki Murakami's A Wild Sheep Chase. In this novel, the narrator discovers that his adventure will commence with a wild sheep chase. Uncertain of its meaning, he abandons his old life and embarks on an odyssey. Along the way, he is accompanied by a girl with exquisite and powerful ears as they search for a specific sheep. After delving into several of Murakami's novels, it becomes evident that simply stating his works are quirky is insufficient.

The narrator's adventures resemble fragmented dream images that seem almost within our grasp if only we can connect the dots. However, therein lies the challenge. This is precisely what the narrator is striving to achieve. He is attempting to make sense of the new world he encounters, much like we are. And, like us, he often finds himself in the dark. What are we to make of the narrator, the Rat (who makes his entrance with a letter to the narrator), or the Sheep Professor? While it may not be as fully developed as some of Murakami's later works, A Wild Sheep Chase remains an interesting and engaging read that keeps readers captivated from beginning to end.

The third part of the "Rat" tetralogy and, probably, one of the strangest books by Murakami. The style, firmly within the purest surrealism, has nothing to do with the two previous novels of the saga, which are of a realistic cut (compiled in Spanish in a single volume). That's the way this author is, each of his books is a surprise, an adventure, because either he writes within realism or within the craziest surrealism. I think it's one of the things that makes many people love or hate him without a middle ground, because when he gets into surrealism, he's really bizarre. For my part, I adore him and would read him even the shopping list, even if he only bought food for the cat.

In this novel, we find the protagonist of the two previous ones, about five years after the second part. On the verge of turning thirty and recently divorced, he is involved in a strange mission, entrusted to him by one of the most influential pressure groups in Japan: he is given two months to travel to Hokkaido and find a sheep that is supposed not to exist. Of course, this forms the mystery of the book.

They say that this tetralogy can be read without chronological order, but for me it's more fun to follow this order. I think I wouldn't have enjoyed this novel as much if I hadn't read the two previous ones, and I would have missed a lot of things. In fact, if I had started reading the "Rat" novels with this book, I think I wouldn't have understood much. If already in the first half, knowing the characters and the peculiarities of Murakami's surrealism, I asked myself several times what the hell I was facing, I don't want to think how it would have been to go in blind with this book.

It's that this novel is very strange in its narrative and form, and I admit that at first it was a bit difficult for me to get into the rhythm, but once I got familiar with it, the reading flowed. It's a book that invites a lot of reflection, that becomes philosophical about the meaning of life; it stops to think about the past and loneliness, about friendship and dysfunctional relationships, about small things, but it's also a book that has made me laugh many times thanks to its irony (and to the cat Sardine), and that has large doses of mystery.

I've enjoyed it a lot, I love how Murakami writes and in this particular book he makes some descriptions of the autumn in Japan that have brought back very nice memories of my stay in this country. Also, as a curiosity, I read the first two parts of the tetralogy while in Japan, so personally and by association, resuming the adventures of the Rat and company has evoked great moments of my life.

In short, Murakami is one of those authors to whom I can't stop being grateful that one day they decided to start writing.

I had no specific intention of delving into another Murakami novel. In fact, ever since I could remember, I had my doubts. However, my sister, after finishing it herself, firmly pressed this particular one into my hands. Having spent three months reading only in German, I simply couldn't resist the allure. So, while I continued to immerse myself in Stefan Zweig's passionate prose during breakfast, I found myself spending the last few minutes of each day in Murakami's enchanting and effortless dreamworld. And I must admit, it is truly irresistible. It may seem ridiculous at times, but there is an undeniable charm to it - shameless, preposterous, hilarious, and oh so very readable.

Towards the end of "A Wild Sheep Chase", there is a scene that I believe perfectly encapsulates Murakami's unique appeal. The main character is standing in front of a mirror. There is an air of the supernatural surrounding the moment, but for now, he is simply looking at his reflection, feeling a sense of disorientation. "It was as if I were the reflection of the mirror and this flat-me-of-an-image were seeing the real me," he ponders. By no means is this a particularly profound thought, yet, when taken as a whole, Murakami manages to capture a mundane form of alienation. It's that "who am I and what is happening right now" feeling that I find myself able to relate to on a deep level. Murakami places this feeling at the center, holding it up for inspection from every possible angle. He does so with great earnestness, and in a curious combination of wild imagination and a certain flatness and inertness.

After perusing through some other reviews, I have two final notes. Firstly, to those who claim that the sheep represents the meaning of life: what book did you actually read? Secondly, for those who thought the ending didn't quite come together: I found the ending to be very clever and surprisingly clear, especially considering this is a type of "weird fiction" that often has an unfortunate tendency to simply trail off.

“No matter how much speed we gained, it was impossible to escape boredom. On the contrary, the faster we moved, the more we were trapped in boredom. Ah, the nature of boredom!”

I like the surreal “The Hunting of the Wild Sheep,” but it didn't impress me as much as I expected. For me, this book is a charming literary dream! The plot is quite wild and intricate, and Murakami once again focuses on the typical themes of his works. The main character has an ordinary and boring way of life, but at a certain point, he finds himself involved in mysterious adventures...

“In the aquarium of my memory, it was always late autumn.”

“Time is really a long, unbroken piece of cloth, isn't it? Usually we cut short pieces of time that suit us, so we are misled to think that our time is limited. However, it continues to flow and flow.”

“Knowledge is fantasy — said the man. — Let's assume that everything I'm telling you now is just words. No matter how I arrange and rearrange them, I will never be able to explain to you the form of the Will that the Master possessed. My explanation will show nothing but the connection between myself and the Will through a connection at the verbal level. So the rejection of knowledge is related to the rejection of language. Because when these two pillars of Western humanism — the knowledge of the individual and the evolutionary receptivity — lose their meaning, language also becomes meaningless. The individual, as we know it, ceases to exist and everything turns into chaos. You cease to be a unique creation in yourself and exist simply as chaos. For the mind, existence is communication, and communication is existence.”

A soothing book, like a dream. Magic realism - the further you go, the stranger it gets, but I like that :). I wonder what connection and impact on the understanding of Murakami's philosophy the other volumes of the Rat Cycle have...

And that undefined dissatisfaction, which is the same as what I felt after reading Sputnik.

Murakami's works often possess a unique charm that combines the ordinary with the extraordinary. The use of magic realism in his novels creates a world that is both familiar and strange, drawing readers in and captivating their imaginations. The Rat Cycle, in particular, seems to hold a special allure, with each volume adding another layer to the complex web of stories and ideas.

As I read this particular volume, I couldn't help but be intrigued by the undefined dissatisfaction that lingered within me. It was similar to the feeling I had after finishing Sputnik, a sense that there was something more, something deeper that I had yet to fully grasp. This feeling of incompleteness is perhaps one of the hallmarks of Murakami's writing, as it leaves readers with much to思考 and reflect upon.

The third novel in the Trilogy of the Rat takes our unnamed narrator on his most ambitious and frenzied journey to date.

When boiled down to its simplest elements, the deranged plot is about a man's search for a sheep.

A Wild Sheep Chase can be regarded as a sort of love letter to Thomas Pynchon, or at least that's how I perceive it. The plot closely resembles that of The Crying of Lot 49 (an ordinary individual accidentally stumbles upon a very dark secret, they encounter the same mysterious symbol everywhere, there is a cast of truly strange characters, and nothing truly makes sense). However, it is a much more breezy and lighter tale.

It is not a novel that I would describe as particularly deep, but it is indeed a great deal of fun.

It offers an entertaining and engaging read, filled with离奇的情节 and unexpected twists.

The characters are vividly drawn, and the story keeps the reader hooked from start to finish.

Overall, A Wild Sheep Chase is a unique and enjoyable addition to the Trilogy of the Rat.

4.5 stars

There is truly something incredibly special about delving into the works of Murakami. It's as if you are peering into someone's dreams, where real, everyday life intertwines with moments of the surreal. You are fully aware that what you're reading is completely crazy, yet it's perfectly okay, and no one seems to bat an eye at it.

This particular book features the characters of the unnamed narrator and the Rat. In fact, I found it to be quite a sad read. Although there are some bright and humorous moments sprinkled throughout, I couldn't help but feel that the overall tone of the story was a little on the glum side. However, I did thoroughly enjoy the exploration of the characters in this one. And, as always, I was delighted whenever the characters visited places that I have actually been to in Japan, even some of the more obscure locations.

I am hoping to make my way through all of Murakami's novels that have been translated into English. Next on my reading list is Dance Dance Dance. I can't wait to see what other magical and strange worlds Murakami will take me to.

4.5/5 stars

This was truly WONDERFUL. It was the first Murakami book so far that made me experience the same feeling as when I was reading "Wind Up Bird" - a pleasant confusion (similar to that in a dream where you know things don't make sense but you go along with it anyway), and an intense eagerness to see what happens next! I absolutely adored how well-developed the Rat and the unnamed narrator became in this installment. It was a HUGE improvement from his first two novels. And it achieved exactly what I loved so much in "Wind Up Bird" and "Kafka" - a beautiful balance between character exploration and a fun, magical realism plot.

I LOVED the plot line. It was completely insane, made no sense at all, yet it was also riveting and completely engrossing. The magical realism elements in this book are some of my favorites, second only to those in "Wind Up". I actually liked how the narrator questions what's going on around him, unlike most of Murakami's protagonists who just go with the flow.

I also LOVED the characters. In this novel, we had quite a few characters who brought humor to the story, which I ADORED. I didn't even know I wanted it, but after reading "Dance Dance Dance", I realize that this was something I really, really liked in this novel. We had the girlfriend who was very bubbly, overpacked her suitcases, and wanted to go on adventures. The chauffeur who looked after their cat and finally gave it a name. And even the unnamed narrator, who continually poked fun at his own situation and became self-aware of how ridiculous his whole situation was. This book had so many funny one-liners and weird self-aware moments that made you feel like you were reading an episode of "The Office" (I could almost see the unnamed narrator looking into the camera at some points during the book).

I also liked how Murakami literally wrote an entire book about a sheep. Like, what?

I also can't seem to figure out if this unnamed narrator from the Rat series is the same man as in "Wind Up Bird" because there are many instances where it references the novel that was written 12 years after this book's publication. For example, "A piercing bird call shot through the open window, a call I'd never heard before." - page 166. And "The cat was anything but cute. Rather, he weighed in at the opposite end of the scale, his fur was scruffy like an old, thread-bare carpet, the tip of his tail was bent at a sixty-degree angle..." - page 178. Also, the mentions of the unnamed narrator's name were very surreal, to be honest. I don't know what Murakami was hinting at with it, or how I feel about it, but I've never seen Murakami bring so much attention to the fact that this narrator doesn't have a name. For instance, " 'They are all given names in compensation for their fixity on the earth... Well, suppose I utterly obliterated my consciousness and became totally fixed, would I merit a fancy name?' 'But you already have a name.' 'Right you are,' I said. 'I nearly forgot.' " - page 182. And "I wrote my name on the card but had second thoughts and crumpled it up and stuffed it in my pocket. I took another card and wrote a fake name and fake address." - page 194. And " 'The name's already changed. Names change all the time. I bet you can't even remember your own name.' " - page 341.

Overall, I really, REALLY loved this novel and I hope "Dance Dance Dance" is just as good! This book was probably the first I've read of his that would be suited for younger readers as well, as it was not at all graphic in its sexual or violent content like his other stories. It was just a very fun, weird adventure to find a sheep with a star on its back.

I wasn't overly impressed with this particular book. I'm a huge fan of Murakami and have devoured three other works of his. The concepts presented in this book were indeed good, and some of them truly made me stop and think, even inspiring me to pen down my thoughts about them. However, the themes seemed to overshadow the book, causing the plot and characters to somewhat suffer. I found myself plodding through it, hoping against hope that I would ultimately be as impressed as I was with The Wind Up Bird Chronicle.

What I did truly appreciate about it, and this holds true for all of his writing, is that the story and characters don't seem to inhabit any recognizable reality. It's like a world adrift in space, where things seem normal on the surface but in fact don't adhere to the ordinary laws of physics. For this unique quality, I will definitely read more of his books, but I'll never pick up The Wild Sheep Chase again.

Each encounter with Murakami is a unique and special journey. The peculiarity of his stories may not be to everyone's taste, but if you catch his point, few will make you enjoy as much as he does.

We meet the protagonist of "Hear the Wind Sing" and "Pinball, 1973" several years later. Currently, he is about to divorce and is a partner in an advertising company with a friend. The publication of a strange photograph in which a flock of sheep appears will cause a series of absurd and strange situations.

When I immerse myself in a Murakami story, I know in advance that I will encounter one of his two tendencies. It can be the simplest, with daily stories of everyday life and the human relationships that occur among a group of people. Or, all of the above mixed with parallel worlds, surrealism, and a lot of suspense. "Wild Sheep Chase" falls into this latter trend. A solitary character, who doesn't find his place in the world, will suddenly feel a renewed interest in life due to a strange mystery related to a sheep.

The more I read Murakami, the more I affirm the reason why he is my favorite author. His books are journeys that do not always answer questions but pose them. And they always completely absorb me. This gentleman is hypnotic.

The end of the novel, as almost always happens to me with him, leaves me with that strange sense of emptiness that his characters feel throughout the story. If you like stories of solitary characters who are looking for their place in the world, without feeling that they quite fit in, Murakami is your author.

First of all, I want to say this. After reading this book, in book forums and other places, I read many comments like "I read it with the intention of having an opinion about Japan...". Such a thing is, first of all, very wrong. With this book, not only this but all of Murakami's books, you cannot obtain healthy information about Japan, Japanese culture, and the Japanese people. H. Murakami is the last Japanese writer who can be associated with the Japan he writes about. By reading writers such as Tanizaki, Mishima, Dazai, Agutagawa, Kawabata, etc., you can get to know real Japanese literature.

If I pass this, then In Search of Lost Time is one of the easiest Murakami books to read and, in my opinion, the most suitable one for beginners. Because the author's narrative and elements that are masters of literature are spread evenly in this book. Murakami is a writer who uses things that we would never expect to happen in a general realism within an image chaos. Therefore, there is no point in interpreting the stories. However, he presents a map that you can think about with the images. Frankly, these complex and absurd, even overly imaginative images tired me a lot in "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle". Especially for those who have a desire to read in an animal with an aimless fury of meaninglessness that does not end throughout such a long work, it creates difficulties. The same situation exists in this book. However, this time, both the shorter length of the novel and the fact that the event has a "unity" make it easier. Since the side stories are not built with too many details, the mind does not scatter.

Again, as in every novel, music passes through this novel. Without carrying a specific purpose, music always finds its place in novels according to the author's preferences. If you are interested in jazz, blues, classical Western music, and classic rock, it is easier for you to create the atmospheres in the novel in your mind.

There is another point that I got stuck on. Some writers advance their novels by writing dialogues. The conversations of the characters carry the book forward. Although some names such as Salinger, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Hardy, Mo Yan, Palahniuk have written in different styles in different periods, the best thing they do is to advance the story with dialogue. I also see such a love in Murakami. However, he writes such postmodern conversations that the conversations cannot carry a unity. One constantly realizes how wide a fantasy Murakami has. It makes one feel as if he has written whatever comes to his mind and wherever it goes. Of course, there are points where he is successful in my opinion, but I think it is tiring and sometimes even pushy.

In this novel too, as in most of H. Murakami's novels, the benefit you get while reading at that moment is the main thing. Not much remains afterwards. The human brain is not sufficient in terms of being able to construct and redefine and interpret such chaotic, irregular, scattered visual/auditory/metaphorical images like a puzzle. If the author has a mathematics, I think it must be a very advanced thing.

Besides that, I can't say anything empty. Murakami is neither a writer that I can recommend reading without hesitation, nor a writer that I can curse according to myself and say never read. I just read... I think in between, I try to put some stones in place, then I turn around and look behind the unanswered questions when the book is over, etc. The best thing is to read and make your own decision. I think this book is one of the novels that most accurately and dosely opens the door to the author's magical realism world. Therefore, it seems that you can give priority to this.

Good readings.