His life was like his recurring nightmare: a
train to nowhere. But an ordinary life has a way
of taking an extraordinary turn. Add a girl
whose ears are so exquisite that, when
uncovered, they improve sex a thousand-fold, a
runaway friend, a right-wing politico, an
ovine-obsessed professor and a manic-depressive
in a sheep outfit, implicate them in a hunt for
a sheep, that may or may not be running the
world, and the upshot is another singular
masterpiece from Japan's finest novelist.