I can't decide between a 3.5 or a 4. This story falls in the realm of magical realism. You do have a socially disconnected protagonist who is sent on a wild sheep chase. At times, the story is absurd but it works. The dialogue is slick and the characters are less introspective than the last novel I read. I do have a theory about what the sheep symbolized but felt I was missing parts of the story since I didn't read the earlier novels; however, this shouldn't greatly affect your ability to follow the story.