The story begins when the recently divorced protagonist, an advertisement executive, publishes a photo of a pastoral scene sent to him in a confessional letter by his long-lost friend, 'Rat.'

In the letter, Rat asks him to return to their hometown and give a belated goodbye on his behalf to J, the owner of the bar the two used to frequent, and a woman he was romantically involved with.

The narrator fulfills the favor, in the process discovering that J's bar has moved from its former dingy basement into a modern building, and that the sea had been paved over for new development.

Months later, the narrator's business partner is contacted by a mysterious man representing 'The Boss,' a central force behind Japan's political and economic elite, who is now slowly dying due to health issues.

After some deliberation and preparation, the narrator and his girlfriend, who possesses magically seductive and supernaturally perceptive ears, decide to travel to the north of Japan to find the sheep and his vagabond friend.

Throughout the novel, there is a dual storyline concerning the whereabouts of the Rat; who had been moving around the country, doing a variety of odd jobs and exploring whatever town that he had happened to travel to.

After giving his elderly cat to the Boss' chauffeur to watch while he is gone, the narrator and his girlfriend fly to Sapporo to begin their hunt for the landscape and sheep in the photo.

The house had belonged to his father, and had been a vacation home purchased from the US government for cheap, after they failed to turn the land into a radar station.

As the narrator returns to town, the driver informs him that his cat has grown fat and that the number to god's phone doesn't seem to work anymore.

He gives J the entire sum of the check from the Boss's assistant, therefore investing in the business with the condition of returns and that the Rat and he would always be welcomed with drinks in the establishment.

[7] [8] A Wild Sheep Chase received praise from Western literary critics, who found it bold and innovative in the context of Japanese fiction.

He praised Murakami's ability to "strike common chords between the modern Japanese and American middle classes, especially the younger generation, and to do so in stylish, swinging language.

"[9] A reviewer in Publishers Weekly argued, "With the help of a fluid, slangy translation, Murakami emerges as a wholly original talent.

"[11] Conversely, Foumiko Kometani stated in Los Angeles Times that the novel "evidences both his celebrated flair and his characteristic weaknesses".

"[12] Murakami recalls that the editors of Gunzo, a Japanese literary magazine that had previously published his works, "didn't like A Wild Sheep Chase at all" because it was unorthodox for novels of the time.

[14] In 2014, Matthew C. Stretcher of Publishers Weekly selected it as his favorite book by the author, writing that Hokkaido is the setting of some of the "most interesting" parts of it.

[15] English professor Lowry Pei described the novel as the one in which Murakami "found the road he has been on ever since", due to tighter structuring and a protagonist who is more comfortable with expressing himself.

[16] In 2017, Bustle's Melissa Ragsdale listed A Wild Sheep Chase as one of the five best Murakami books to start with, recommending it the most for readers who enjoy thrillers.

[14] On the other hand, novelist Francie Lin wrote in 2001 that "A Wild Sheep Chase, in spite of its deadpan charm, is to my mind the least interesting of his novels, largely because it appears to rocket along without any real feeling beneath the gyrations of wit and intellect."

[19] Keith Law wrote in 2011 that the novel was lesser than The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Kafka on the Shore, but he praised its plot.

"[20] Vulture's Hillary Kelly deemed the novel one of Murakami's six "forgettable" works, writing that "this rambling detective story is mostly the splatters of a thousand zany ideas thrown against the page.

All three novels begin from or refer back to November 25, 1970, the day on which Japanese author, poet, playwright and right-wing activist Yukio Mishima committed seppuku following a failed coup attempt at the headquarters of Japan's Self Defense Forces.

"[10] Mitgang billed it as "youthful, slangy, political and allegorical"; he also argued that despite Murakami's knowledge of American literature and popular music, the novel is ultimately rooted in modern Japan because of "its urban setting, yuppie characters and subtle feeling of mystery, even menace".

[12] In an article published by Manusya: Journal, the author claimed that the structure of the novel and lack of resolution creates a Labyrinth experience for the readers.

[15] In a 2009 article for The New Yorker, Jon Michaud singled out one exchange in the 26th chapter for its multiple references to Herman Melville's Moby-Dick.