A Wild Sheep Chase 

When reading A Wild Sheep Chase, by Haruki Murakami, I was expecting it to be
“cheesy” in a sense. It was to a typical western mystery novel. Everything was described in vague terms. When reading a western mystery novel, the protagonist is identified, and the antagonist is to be determined. Upon reading this book, I assumed its structure would be very similar. I was very wrong. Throughout the entire book, the protagonist is the nameless narrator, and the names provided to the other characters are equally vague. For example, the lover he repeatedly saw in the coffee shop. He slept with her numerous times, but somehow could not remember her name. Most of what he could remember about her was her habit to chain smoke, and listen to rock music on the radio. By keeping characters nameless, it almost implicates the reader to the mystery. This book is like a mystery within a mystery. There was plenty of room for interpretation involving the characters. ‘

What I also found interesting about this novel it how it challenges our western perspective. We expect a mystery or horror novel to have direct points in which to jolt us. violent crime, questionable motives, shady, uncertain alliances, betrayals, or any kind of conclusion that satisfies a reader’s sense of logic. Nor does it imply a great struggle on behalf of the protagonist; against his/her enemies, or against his environment. Also, there is really nothing at stake for the narrator; he works in a small unknown marketing firm, his wife leaves him, and he has little friends. What really sets this book apart from a western novel (aside from the other factors) is how the narrator has no desires; he has no love to avenge, and no desire to understand his friend’s struggle. There seems to be no resolve within the story— leaving the reader feeling ambiguous.