An A Wild Sheep Chase nakaresibe man nin maninigong pagmidbid halis sa Western literary critics, arog halimbawa ki Herbert Mitgang kan The New York Times Book Review, kun sain pig-omaw kaini sa saiyang review kan 1989 an libro bilang "Youthful, slangy, political and allegorical", dangan, "What makes ''A Wild Sheep Chase'' so appealing is the author'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. Mr. Murakami's novel is a welcome debut by a talented writer who should be discovered by readers on this end of the Pacific."