A Wild Sheep Chase is the third novel written by Haruki Murakami and is said to be the last of "The Rat Trilogy". The book, narrated in a first person point-of-view, is somewhat a detective story, which entirely revolves around the misadventures of a nameless main character.

The novel began with the main character, who works in an advertising firm, divorcing his wife. However, months after that, he meets a woman with three occupations, who, after which, became his girlfriend. The woman has such magnificent ears that it seemed magical and improved sex a thousand-fold.

Slowly the story unfolded with the narrator possessing a landscape photo with a herd of sheep grazing, taken and given to him by his friend, The Rat. Having it posted in an ad bulletin, everything suddenly hurled into the searching of one certain sheep.

A sheep that can control everyone and take over the world. In the process of seeking out for the said sheep, he encounters several other characters like the Sheep Man-a man who talks in a monotonic rush, the owner of a hotel, and the Sheep Professor-the father of the hotel owner.

In a way, with certain hints of mythology in it, there appear certain symbolisms in each of his characters. Holistically, though, if I were to be asked about what I think of the story, it just shows Murakami's attitude toward wars and certain issues regarding Japan's participation in the atrocities in the Second World War, like the Nanjing Massacre and Unit 731, which was a covert biological and chemical warfare unit.

Moreover, as there is a mention of a Class A war criminal in the story, the reason why the narrator had to undergo the search for a sheep, it may have portrayed Yasukuni Shrine, a shrine were several Japanese who served during the World War II were buried.

Of course, not to mention the sheep itself since it seemed to have been the symbol of machination and the embodiment of an ideal that wished to dominate the whole world. In a manner of speaking, the whole novel itself may have been a reflection of what happened during the war and how Japan has not come in to terms with its past.

With elements of magical realism, the book centralized in the typical Murakami themes of loss and loneliness. The style of writing, just as the same with his other books, is Westernized, complete with light humor.

To me, what may move the reader in reading this novel is the idea that concepts are symbols once they have that courage to read it over and over again, which results to understanding what the entire message of the story was. But with such a splendidly crafted prose, I believe you would not need courage to reread it again. Fascination is enough a reason.