Autumn Reads...

A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami- 3 stars ***

I am a huge fan of Haruki Murakami, and this is the seventh of his books I have read. A Wild Sheep Chase is actually the third part in 'Trilogy of the Rat' but despite having not read the first two instalments, it seemed to make perfect sense on its own.

I always find Murakami's stories are quite patchy, but not necessarily in a bad way, and this book was no exception. It jumps around quite a lot and focuses on descriptions rather than plot, and also finishes quite abruptly. However all the questions are answered, and the language used as ever was beautifully crafted and a pleasure to read. An example is 'His face was even harder to figure. It was a straightforward face, but expressionless, a blank slate. His nose and eyes were angular, as if scored with a paper knife in afterthought, his lips bloodless and thin. He was lightly tanned, though clearly not from the pleasures of the beach or the tennis court. That tan could only have been the result of some unknown sun shining in some unknown sky.'

The plot was unusual but interesting. It follows the journey of an unnamed man who after publishing a photo with his P.R firm, gets roped into a hunt for a sheep in the picture with a bizarre star on its back. In the space of one month he has to find the sheep, which could be anywhere in Japan, otherwise his company will be dissolved and his business partner left with no livelihood. Along the way he meets a woman with ears that people can't help but look at, and a man who dresses in a full woollen sheep outfit and wanders about the hills.

This is not one of my favourites of Murakami; I have to admit, but it still retains the charm and often humour of his books. An example of such is, 'But then some joker of an architect came along to attach another wing of the same style and colour scheme onto the right side of the original structure. The intention wasn't bad, but the effect was unpalatable. Like serving sherbet and broccoli on the same silver platter.'

I would recommend this book, but only to people with a very open mind, or those who are familiar with the author's work. I would say that if a regular John Doe were to pick it up, it would seem over the top and pointless, and it is a shame to be put off an really good novelist simply by misunderstanding the intentions behind the story. Try Norwegian Wood or The Wind-up Bird Chronicle first.