The twenty-something protagonist of this hip, romantic thriller, who has more than his share of troubles with women and a fetish for the feminine ear, finds himself drawn into an elaborate quest for a mysterious sheep with a cream-colored star on its back. From the urban haunts of Tokyo to the sprawling suburban estate of a high-powered right-wing politico, to the chilly desolation of the remote island of Hokkaido, Murakami weaves an unforgettable story of enchantment, suspense, and human mystery.

"Murakami is a mythmaker for the millennium, a wiseacre wiseman". -- The New York Times Book Review

"Immensely readable...in a staccato, hard-boiled American style, Murakami tattoos out short, snappy sentences of world-weary deadpan". -- The Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Marvelously engaging...like spending a splendidly foul weekend with the Four Raymonds -- Chandler, Carver, Massey, and Queneau". -- Frederick Barthelme
-- Murakami's highly awaited novel, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles, will be published by Knopf in the summer of 1997.