A Wild Sheep Chase - Haruki Murakami

Compared to what I've seen from J Horror movies, this novel was at the other end of the horror spectrum. The only disturbing moment, although predictable, was the revelation that the Sheep Man was dead (that and the simple, yet creepy illustration.) I was a tad adamant to read this at the beginning, but as the chapters flew I by, I completely forgot that it was a horror novel. But like the J Horror movies I have seen, the story is mainly built up slowly, adding suspense up until the climax at the very end.
      The protagonist intentionally ignored names, instead giving general titles to identify an individual. Choosing to have the characters remain nameless made everyone feel a bit lifeless. By labeling them with titles such as Boss, chauffeur, the Rat and girlfriend, I feel that they are only defined by their roles and nothing more. The narrator, lacks a title, adding to his unaffected state of being. He hardly expresses any emotion, for the most part being numb to all of the happenings around him.
     There was a running motif of marine animals, comparing humans to red herrings and relating this incredulous search for a sheep to that of the chase after Moby Dick, constantly referring to his experience at the aquarium. The narrator openly declares that he leads a dull life, and he actually complains once an adventure presents itself to him. The girlfriend and her ears, endowed with the gift of premonition, was the most interesting character in this entire novel. It wasn't until the chase began that he gained insight as to what he held dear. He didn't consider anything to be particularly valuable, hence the lack of labels, until that girlfriend with the ears came along. What is it with the ears? Are they like a beautiful frame to boring canvas of a face? Well it brought a spark of interest for the narrator, allowing him to find pleasure in his humdrum life until it was taken away.
     As satisfying as it was to read, the end left me partially confused. Not much was explained about the character "the Rat" and it was because of this that I found him to be the most intriguing of all the characters. His involvement, little though it may be, brought some excitement to the story. There was much mystery around his death, with getting possessed by that special sheep. The Rat said that by ending his life, that the sheep would go with him but I doubt such a supernatural being would be extinguished so easily. It makes me wonder about the man in the suit and his arrival at the end, and that maybe he would be the next "victim" of the sheep. I believe the sheep was the "ideal life," but once it's gained it can corrupt a person.
      The sheep chase itself didn't seem to be the main purpose, but instead was an opportunity for the narrator to examine his almost-30-year life. The whole story was a reflection of the narrator's accomplishments, or lack of. By the end of an eventful journey, the impact of all that he has lost finally strikes a nerve with him, but does nothing to try to regain any of it.The vague ending left me feeling empty, like the narrator's state of mind at the end of all these ordeals.