In getting ready for the long-awaited release of 1Q84 on October 25th, I was pleasantly surprised to find evidence of Lemuria-Staff-Past who have also been devoted fans.
Enjoy this review by Catherine, Lemuria Class of 2006. -Lisa
A Wild Sheep Chase is, in many ways, Haruki Murakami’s break-through book. It was his first novel translated into English and his first popular, if not critical, success in Japan.
The book is considered the second episode of his “Rat” trilogy, the first of which is not available in the U.S. and the third being Dance, Dance, Dance. (No fear, the books are only bound by one character, so it not essential to read them in order, or together.) Immensely successful in Japan, A Wild Sheep Chase is a comic combination of disparate styles: a literary mystery, a metaphysical speculation, and an ironic first-person account of an impossible quest. A beach read if Murakami has ever written one.
It begins innocently enough. A Woody-Allen-esque chain-smoking ad executive receives a photograph from a long lost friend and appropriates the image for one of his firm’s promotional posters. But the photo – of an idyllic sheep-populated countryside – is no ordinary scenic view. Rather, it is photographic evidence of an elusive sheep with a star shaped birthmark that (traditionally) brings its owners incredible wealth and power.
Soon, the ad man finds himself hunted by underworld figures who instruct him to find the sheep, or face dire consequences. Armed with a laissez-faire attitude and enigmatically-eared girlfriend, the man sets out on exactly what the title promises.
It is the way Murakami describes everyday oddity (such as the girlfriend with the perfect earlobes) and the way he conveys modern Japan (as a nouveau wonderland with a nameless male “Alice”) that gives the novel its ample charm. A Wild Sheep Chase contains passages of incredible beauty, as well as breathtaking humor, all delivered as intimate author-reader conversation. Like the work itself, Murakami is very hard to compartmentalise. Just when you think you have a handle on his eerie brand of surreal description, he finds a new indulgence. And while this might sound irritating, it proves to be extremely rewarding.
Admittedly, this book is probably not Murakami’s masterpiece (I’ll save that honor for Wind-Up Bird Chronicles or Kafka on the Shore), but it might be his most fun to read. Grab onto this book, get a feel for the world you are about to enter, and read on for greatness.
-Written by Catherine
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For an introduction to Murakami and preview of 1Q84, click here.
Click here to see other blog posts on Murakami.
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