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A review by elle_reads
A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami
4.0
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BOOK REVIEW
[A Wild Sheep Chase] An unnamed narrator searches for a magic sheep.
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WHAT I LIKED
My favorite moment of A Wild Sheep Chase is the naming of the unnamed narrator’s cat. No, its not JUST because there’s a fat, old cat with a strict diet. Hear me out. It is a perfect example of Murakami's little mundane, humanized moments leading into greater observations of life. He moves from a character’s old cat to the meaning of names. Why do some objects have names, yet others don’t? Is it for the interchangeability of a thing? It’s role? Does it connect to religion?
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I also loved the feeling of clues coming together at the end. Murakami’s writing is always a toss up: will we know why/how something happened or be left with a muddy impression? I enjoy understanding the pieces before the characters fully put it together. As the third in the series, I don’t think it's necessary to read the other books to understand the plot, but the payoff is greater just because. There a small attributes to prior themes.
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WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Murakami is often criticised for male gaze. I have conflicting views on the subject. Yes - woman are more than their bodies. But yes - women’s bodies are also beautiful. Murakami’s descriptions are general respectful, but a few in this piece made me cringe. There’s a place for cringing, but even the cringe didn’t seem to add to the plot. Not enough to give it a less star (that’s more based on pacing), but it is enough for me to sit back and wonder, what that part necessary? What do you think about male gaze in literature?
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A Wild Sheep Chase (by Haruki Murakami) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️4/5
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Favorite Pages: 15, 36, 83, 101, 108, 135, 152-155, 167, 253, //
Recommended for Lovers of: Franz Kafka, Voltaire, Salman Rushdie, Orhan Pamuk, Jorge Luis Borges
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BOOK REVIEW
[A Wild Sheep Chase] An unnamed narrator searches for a magic sheep.
//
WHAT I LIKED
My favorite moment of A Wild Sheep Chase is the naming of the unnamed narrator’s cat. No, its not JUST because there’s a fat, old cat with a strict diet. Hear me out. It is a perfect example of Murakami's little mundane, humanized moments leading into greater observations of life. He moves from a character’s old cat to the meaning of names. Why do some objects have names, yet others don’t? Is it for the interchangeability of a thing? It’s role? Does it connect to religion?
//
I also loved the feeling of clues coming together at the end. Murakami’s writing is always a toss up: will we know why/how something happened or be left with a muddy impression? I enjoy understanding the pieces before the characters fully put it together. As the third in the series, I don’t think it's necessary to read the other books to understand the plot, but the payoff is greater just because. There a small attributes to prior themes.
//
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Murakami is often criticised for male gaze. I have conflicting views on the subject. Yes - woman are more than their bodies. But yes - women’s bodies are also beautiful. Murakami’s descriptions are general respectful, but a few in this piece made me cringe. There’s a place for cringing, but even the cringe didn’t seem to add to the plot. Not enough to give it a less star (that’s more based on pacing), but it is enough for me to sit back and wonder, what that part necessary? What do you think about male gaze in literature?
//
A Wild Sheep Chase (by Haruki Murakami) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️4/5
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Favorite Pages: 15, 36, 83, 101, 108, 135, 152-155, 167, 253, //
Recommended for Lovers of: Franz Kafka, Voltaire, Salman Rushdie, Orhan Pamuk, Jorge Luis Borges
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