A review by biblio_creep
A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami

3.0

Book Review | A WILD SHEEP CHASE by HARUKI MURAKAMI 

 

3/5 ⭐’s | PUB DATE:  13 October 1982 

 

Read if you're looking for: 

• Weird, literary fiction translated from Japanese
• Possession by an evil entity, possibly representing ambition or toxic masculinity
• An conflicted, unnamed main character
• Magical realism & an offbeat sense of humor
• More sheep info than you’ve ever heard in your life

 
This is another of Murakami’s early novels, written in the 1980’s. As I work my way through all of his catalogue, I am finding myself not quite as enchanted by his earlier work, even though this one is a lot of people’s favorite Murakami. Although there was some of his signature magical realism in this one, I found it to drag a little bit, and a I didn’t care very much about the characters. I did enjoy the setting and atmosphere of Hokkaido that Murakami included. As with most of Murakami’s books, the representation of women is a little bit weird and objectifying. Again, while I enjoy his writing style and quirky sense of humor, I don’t think this one is a win for me, personally.
 
CW: Suicide, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Sexual content, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, War