Week 5

This was a very unique and interesting book. I really enjoyed the book as a whole, but the ending left me quite confused. Murakami’s writing style is very intriguing with his many similes, unique characters and use of symbolism. This book really makes you think about the patterns of human nature and how we all relate to each other. I wonder if the wild sheep chase was symbolism for a much broader topic relating to human nature. The beginning of the book compelled me to hope that the main character would have a revelation in the end and find direction in his life, but this didn’t really happen. Though it did seem that the main character gained some self-confidence and realization in the end of the book. Staying in the house at the top of the mountain for many days seemed to help him clear his mind and his encounters with many odd characters helped him to realize something…though I am not quite sure what that was. I was very puzzled by the main character’s encounter with Rat, because, at first, I thought it was a dream, but events that occurred after that seemed to contradict this theory. Truthfully, I am not quite sure what to make of this book. I really enjoyed Murakami’s writing style, but the plot was just so weird. The beginning of the book seemed to have some promise, but the ending was so unfathomably…odd.
I would recommend this book to a friend because it was a pretty good book, and most of all, it made you think. This would be a great book for discussion because there are so many ways that you can interpret this book. Also, Murakami’s writing style makes it a quick read and the melding of reality with fiction make it very unique.