One of the strangest and most complex books that I have recently read.

After finishing it, through a lot of discussions and analyses that I did and read, I just realized that this book is the fourth or third volume of the "The Rat" series, and it is necessary to have read the other books as a prerequisite. But it's not that you won't notice anything from it. In fact, in my opinion, the series of books is like this: from the perspective of the subject matter, they don't have much connection. It's more the author's own perspective. If you read them in order, you can get a better analysis, view, and understanding, and the goal of the book will be clearer for you.

This book, like the others, is surreal and full of various symbols and signs. I heard that some of them are related to Japanese culture, which I think is considered cowardice in the eyes of those who don't know how to read this book and have no knowledge of their culture. Because of this, my mind is very much involved like now, and perhaps it would be more correct if the translator gave a preface about these issues so that we can read with a more open mind and not attribute the fault to the author's bad writing or incomprehensible writing or the book being plagiarized. However, I really enjoyed this book and will look forward to the rest.

I penned the following review two and a half years ago. Now that I've delved into A Wild Sheep Chase once more, I'm of the opinion that there's little need for alteration. Or perhaps there's an urgent need to do so; I'm not entirely certain. In any event, I'd rather cue up Benny Goodman's Airmail Special and inhale deeply the spring evening air.

On the rear cover of this special 3D edition of "The Wild Sheep Chase," there's a quote from The Washington Post that reads: "Lean forward and topple headlong into magic." Well, that couldn't be more fitting!

You know that feeling when you read something that, as a story, isn't overly remarkable, yet deep within you, it amazes? It's as if two aspects of you are simultaneously perusing the narrative. The pragmatic part interprets what you read in a matter-of-fact manner, while the emotional part does so in a more internal and abstract way that you can't quite put your finger on. For example (and this is just a minor spoiler, so don't fret), the scene where the girlfriend departs from the house on the mountain made me feel inexplicably melancholy. Although Murakami doesn't seem to刻意 try to evoke sadness at that specific moment, I experienced genuine and unadulterated sadness. It was like a reflexive response. I truly hope what I'm attempting to convey thus far is getting through.

This is the third installment of The Rat series and Murakami's third novel overall. Like any of his works, this one can be approached from two perspectives: as a modern fairytale about a man's pursuit to locate a special sheep, or as an allegory of a modern individual's search for the meaning of life. Opting for the former (although it's not entirely a matter of choice), one misses out on a great deal and likely ends up confused and frustrated.

Many of Murakami's stereotypical allegorical themes are present. Unnamed characters, for instance, which, in my view, is a means of depicting the also unnamed protagonist's detachment from everyone. Indeed, our hero, like most of Murakami's heroes, shows a propensity to shy away from emotional connections. Not even his cat has a name until a secondary character bestows one upon it. Moreover, there is a constant uncertainty throughout the book regarding what is real and what isn't, as realistic facts blend with... less than realistic facts. There's even a point near the end where the main protagonist is unsure of who he truly is and why. These elements really resonate and are the main reason Murakami earns so much praise from me.

Attempting to rationalize everything you read in this book will prove futile, so don't waste your time. Instead, you should let your inner eye devour this astonishing story about sheep. Trust me, you never know what you might uncover within the pages of "The Wild Sheep Chase."

Wonderful continuation of his first great cycle, an essential early Murakami.

This review not only provides a brief overview of the significance of Murakami's early works but also offers a comprehensive list of his novels and short story collections.

The novels range from "Hear the Wind Sing" in 1979 to "Killing Commendatore" in 2017/2018, covering a wide span of his creative career. Each novel has its own unique charm and style, attracting countless readers around the world.

The short story collections, such as "The Elephant Vanishes" and "After the Quake," also展示了 Murakami's excellent storytelling skills. In addition to the literary works, the review also includes some of Murakami's non-fiction works, such as "Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche" and "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running." These works provide a deeper understanding of Murakami's thoughts and perspectives on various aspects of life. Overall, this review is a valuable resource for both Murakami fans and those who are interested in exploring his works.

Reading Murakami is truly a unique experience, much like delving into someone else's dream. When one attempts to review his works, it feels akin to trying to recall one's own dreams - filled with scattered events, confusing narrative lapses, inexplicable elements, and even the occasional strange image like a petrified whale penis. It's a series of disjointed images that flash before your eyes. For example, there are pictures of various objects and scenes, such as a seven-stars-limited-edit-m, a 135-Sapporo-draft, a rat, and a tabby cat. These images seem to have no clear connection at first glance, but as you immerse yourself in Murakami's world, you start to sense an underlying rhythm or theme. And then, just like when you wake up from a dream, you are left wondering what that entire experience was all about. You try to make sense of the chaos, to find the hidden meanings and emotions that Murakami has so skillfully woven into his stories. It's a journey that is both perplexing and captivating, leaving you with a sense of wonder and a desire to explore more of his literary universe.

Venga Mr. Quimby, si accomodi.

Allora siamo d'accordo, solo poche domande, così finiamo presto.

- Già, sarà meglio.

- È comodo?

- È questa la prima domanda?

- Eh? No, no, mi chiedevo se era a suo agio, così iniziamo.

- Hai delle noccioline?

- Seymour, porta degli stuzzichini per Mr. Quimby.

- Ho detto noccioline.

- Hai sentito Seymour? Solo noccioline.

- Bene Mr. Quimby, parto con la prima domanda.

- Vediamo di darci una mossa.

- Ehm, certo... Allora, sappiamo che ha letto Nel segno della pecora di Murakami, le è piaciuto?

- Quando arrivano le noccioline?

- Seymour, stiamo ancora aspettando quelle noccioline... Seymour!

- Arrivano signore, arrivano!

- Ecco a lei Mr. Quimby... ora torniamo al romanzo di Murakami...

- Quello con la pecora, giusto? crunch, crunch...

- Sì, abbiamo visto le cinque stelline, ma ancora non ha rilasciato alcuna dichiarazione, ci stavamo chiedendo il perché, è passato già quasi un mese ormai.

- crunch, crunch... nessun mistero, è che sono pigro.

- Eh, capisco Mr. Quimby, capisco, lei vuol suggerirci che è in cerca dell'ispirazione giusta, del resto è un autore che a lei piace molto, è normale che...

- Non ho voglia di fare un cazzo.

- ...Prego?

- Non ho voglia di fare un cazzo e sono qui solo perché... crunch, crunch... mi avete detto che mi avreste pagato per rispondere a certe domande... crunch. Sono finite le noccioline.

- Seymour, porta altre noccioline per Mr. Quimby.

- D'accordo Mr. Quimby. Ci dica almeno se considera il romanzo al livello dei migliori, come L'uccello che girava le viti del mondo, ad esempio...

- Per risponderti ho bisogno di quelle noccioline...

- Seymour, vedi di portarle tutte. A Mr. Quimby piacciono molto.

- ...e anche un paio di birre, m'è venuta sete.

- Hai sentito Seymour? Due birre... ha delle preferenze Mr. Quimby?

- Staropramen.

- Seymour, abbiamo due Staropramen per Mr. Quimby?

- Uh... temo di no signore, forse riesco a rimediare due Pilsner Urquell.

- Mr. Quimby...?

- D'accordo, fanne portare tre, già che ci sei.

- Ho sentito signore, ne vuole tre.

- Bravo Seymour... nell'attesa Mr. Quimby, vuole anticiparci se ritiene Nel segno della pecora adatto al lettore che voglia avvicinarsi per la prima volta all'opera dello scrittore giapponese?

- Ecco le noccioline e le birre, signori.

- ...Ahh, crunch, crunch... 'adatto', dici? Fa schifo come parola... 'adatto' fa proprio schifo, non la userei mai.

- ...o non pensa piuttosto che possa essere apprezzato maggiormente dai fedelissimi, i lettori avvezzi al mondo letterario di Murakami, che già dispongono degli strumenti necessari per decodificare le sue opere...?

- 'avvezzi' fa ancora più schifo... crunch, crunch... 'avvezzi', 'decodefecare'... come cazzo parli?

- Insomma, Mr. Quimby, vuol dirci qualcosa sullo stile, i contenuti magari...?

- crunch, crunch... c'è questa ragazza dalle orecchie bellissime...

- Già, è uno dei personaggi più interessanti, ha dei poteri soprannaturali... vada avanti Mr. Quimby.

- crunch, crunch... e c'è questa pecora aliena o una roba del genere...

- ...che invasa i corpi di uomini chiave per dei loschi fini di conquista del mondo... ecco, su questo aspetto, non crede che magari...

- Ne avrei fatto degli arrosticini...

- Prego?

- ...della pecora, intendo... crunch, crunch...

- ...

- Mr. Quimby, c'è qualcos'altro che vuole aggiungere?

- Buurp! Mi stai annoiando.

- Bene, direi che con questo è tutto, la ringraziamo Mr. Quimby... Seymour, vuoi essere così cortese da indicare a Mr. Quimby la porta della toilette? Credo ne abbia urgente bisogno...

I realize that what I love about Murakami is not the plot he constructs, but those small "pieces" of dialogue, those passages that describe loneliness, scenery, people, towns, and the old past, which are always lingering and enchanting. It's like reading and then being lost for a while because of those "pieces", those sentences and words. It's strange and weird, intertwined, making the reader perceive half real and half illusory.

"Wild Sheep Chase" is a strange hunting journey, and it's also a kind of character. I once again go to find the entity and some strange meaning that lingers in their dull lives. Generally speaking, when reading Murakami, there is no need to read quickly. Only by reading slowly, step by step, can one fully appreciate the good.

I think among the writers I have ever read, no one is as good at describing loneliness and confusion as Murakami. In fact, it can also be seen somewhere in the writing of Annie Proulx. Well, let's end with this quote:

"That day, I was twenty-one and about to turn twenty-two. I didn't have the good fortune to graduate early, nor did I have any reason to drop out of school. I was stuck in a strange and desperate situation. Every month I struggled, unable to find a new direction for myself. Everything was in motion, but I still stood still. In autumn, everything was dyed with a desolate color, and in an instant, the colors faded and turned gray in front of my eyes. The sunlight, the fragrance of the grass, the tiniest sounds of the raindrops, everything made me unable to calm down."

:) The translator of this book always translates well and accurately!

4/5 ⭐

Officially, this is my first Murakami novel and guess what? I LIKED IT!

I mean it had a plethora of advantages and I'll actually list them for you:

1) It was a relatively short read, which made it accessible and easy to devour in a short period of time.

2) The writing style was such that the story flowed effortlessly. So, even if you don't know what to expect, you'll still manage to breeze through 50 pages in one sitting. The words seemed to dance on the page, pulling you along with the narrative.

3) You'll get some Squid Game vibes from it at some point during the story. Trust me, if you watched the TV show, then you won't really be able to unsee what I just said. There are certain elements and scenarios that bear a resemblance, adding an extra layer of intrigue.

4) There are NO NAMES to be bothered with remembering. Literally, the only name you'd actually see there is the name of the old cat the main character owns. This lack of specific names gives the story a sense of anonymity and universality, allowing you to focus more on the characters' actions and emotions.

5) The whole narrative is bizarre. The characters seem to lack personality or even some vitality sometimes, but in a way, it kind of makes sense to act like that. After all, they're all Japanese people in 1970s Japan, and they just fit the vibe of the time and the place. The cultural and historical context adds depth and authenticity to the story.

6) SO MUCH GOOD MUSIC THERE!

Aside from all that, this book has been the type that manages to transcend normality and reality. It blends in the fantastic and the supernatural so well that at some point you can't tell when it's real and when it's not. It looks like the storyline just smoked something funky and now everything and everyone in there is high. The boundaries between the real and the imagined become blurred, creating a truly unique and captivating reading experience.

I know Murakami might not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you ever want to try something of his, you can most definitely try this one. It's short, quick, and quite funky, offering a taste of his unique style and imagination.

Murakami is not everyone's cup of tea.

His books are mostly filled with a sense of depression. The characters he creates are often desolate, mostly men who seem to have no clear direction in life. They don't know why they are doing what they are doing. These men can easily have women in their lives, yet they are not as physically lonely as they are mentally.

The women in his books, on the other hand, are rather aloof. They are independent and strong-willed, able to leave whenever, wherever, and however they want. They are also lonely and have difficulty opening up to anyone.

So why do people, or rather I, read Murakami? Why read his stories when we know they will throw us into the deepest of depressions?

Because, Murakami grows on you.

It is his easy and clear style of expressing emotions, and the perfect description of everyday thoughts and events that attract me.

This book, in particular, has a beautiful description (too long to quote) of someone wandering through a new city. It shows how the city can change from being interesting with its well-known corners to rather boring. Since I like wandering in new cities, I found this extremely relatable.

Although this is the third book in Murakami's 'The Rat' series, the books in the series have the same nameless protagonist and refer to his friend 'The Rat', but they are stand-alones in a way.

This book was sort of co-read with my huge Murakami fan friend. We started reading it last year. I progressed for a while, but then he got lost in depression and I stopped. During my long depressions, he finished it. Then I picked it up again. And here I am.

I began reading the series about 'The Rat' with the last (4th and the latest) one. And now that I have read the third book, I think I will continue to read it in the reverse order. :)

I really liked the ending of this book. In my opinion, it was unexpected and refreshing.

Jedinu stvar koju Murakamiju nikada neću oprostiti je što više voli mačke od pasa.

This book is... so many books. What it all boils down to, what is that one theme that makes up the essence of the novel? It seems to be a search for identity, but there's still something that doesn't quite ring true. What else could it be? I have no idea. Nor do I want to know, if I'm being honest. I have a hint, yes, from time to time I catch a glimpse, and maybe I could even write a short (and crude) interpretation of this rather interesting stack. But I won't. It's far more fun this way, to let those details fester and create their own life, their own dream, because that's what this book is ultimately. One lucky, delirious, unforgettable dream.

5

Haruki Murakami, before embarking on his successful career as an author, ran a jazz club in Tokyo. This is not only evident from the presence of music in his novels but also from the books themselves, which possess a distinct "jazz like" feel. Murakami himself has described his writing process as a kind of free improvisation. He claims that he never plans and has no idea what the next page will hold. Many may find this hard to believe, but for him, it's the essence of the fun in writing a novel or a story. He is constantly searching for melody after melody, and once he starts, he often can't stop, as if the words flow out like spring water, naturally and easily.

This approach allows for ample opportunity to riff on a theme, digress, take sudden turns without apparent reason, and move back and forth. Reading this book is like being inside someone's head during a dream. There is a girl who seems ordinary until she exposes her ears and becomes extraordinarily attractive, directing much of the action with her intuitive powers. There is a shadowy figure known as Boss. There is a race against time where nothing happens for long periods. The dreamlike quality is further enhanced by the narrator often having decisions made for him, only to end up in a conversation where his actions are revealed to have been aimed at a specific objective. For example, at one point, he randomly smashes a guitar to pieces and later provides an explanation, much like in a dream where strange behavior is rationalized by bizarre explanations that make sense within the dream. There are mysterious letters from an old acquaintance (The Rat, after whom the trilogy is named), including a photograph of a sheep. There is a man in a sheep costume and a Sheep Professor.

As expected in a book titled A Wild Sheep Chase, sheep play a significant role. However, the exact nature of that role remains somewhat unclear, further emphasizing the dream-like quality of the book. It could be that a sheep is in charge of everything.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable read, likely enhanced by Murakami's improvisational approach. Since the author himself doesn't know where the story is going from one page to the next, the reader has little chance of second-guessing him. Although, when someone is instructed to connect the green wire to the green wire and the red wire to the red wire, one can sort of anticipate where that particular action will lead.

It's the kind of genre bending and mixing that Murakami does better than anyone else. You either love him or hate him. For me, it's definitely the former.

This book was truly trash, lol.

"We are not whales - and this constitutes one great theme underscoring our sex life." What on earth does that mean?

"It came back to me, that giant whale's penis, after having intercourse with a girl for the very first time... but I was only seventeen... it was then and there I came to the realisation... which is, that I am not a whale." Lol, what is this supposed to convey?

"An 'earholder', someone with ears" aka a person? a woman? God forbid you actually write a female character with depth. Just call them an earholder.

"I am my ears, my ears are me." Lol, okay.

"I'll stretch my legs and find a woman." "Finding women has never been much of a problem for me." "Sex appeal's easy, not a problem." "I lose track of where I myself stop and my sex appeal begins." Same, to be honest.

"My wife hadn't come home in four days. Her toothbrush by the wash basin was caked and cracked like a fossil." Lol, I'm sorry. What happens to a toothbrush that hasn't been used for four days?

"If not for the sharp curve of his eyelids and the glass-bead chills of his pupils, I would surely have thought him homosexual." This statement is just plain strange and inappropriate.

"Women with their clothes off have a frightening similarity." Yea, this writer is trash and sexist.

After reading -almost- the complete bibliography of Murakami, I drew three general conclusions. In summary, I am much closer to his novels than to his short stories. That is to say, I consider him a writer of long rivers, not of tributaries, nor of meanders, nor of trails, nor of drops.

Secondly, I believe that he has four great texts that should survive, at least, a couple of centuries: Tokyo Blues, Kafka on the Shore, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, and 1Q84.

Finally, if I had to single out a fifth novel (a reserve one, we might say), I would talk about: Dance, Dance, Dance. And now, I have come across a new narration that I already consider the sixth one to take very much into account: The Wild Sheep Chase.

This exploration of Murakami's works has been a fascinating journey. Each of his novels seems to open up a new world, filled with unique characters and complex themes. The way he weaves his stories, with a combination of the ordinary and the extraordinary, is truly remarkable. It makes me eager to continue reading and discover more of his literary treasures.