BelEdit Book Reviews
I love Korean and Japanese TV shows, and have watched enough of them to start getting insights into some of the social norms, themes and tropes common to these two cultures, as well as some of the differences between them. I was thrilled to discover The Man Who Died Seven Times (translated by Jesse Kirkwood), introducing me to J-drama on the page rather than the screen.
Time loops and time shifts are a very common trope on screen in K- and J-dramas, and it works extremely well here. We follow Hisataro, a teenager who, since childhood, has often found himself caught in a time loop where the same events play out day after day, resetting at midnight, nine times. This time, he finds himself in a loop where he is trying to prevent his grandfather’s murder during a family get-together.
The Man Who Died Seven Times is fun, witty and gripping. Yes, the same day plays out nine times, but it actually doesn’t feel repetitive as different characters take front stage in each replay. With a big inheritance at stake, all of the family members are suspects, and it’s up to Hisataro to circumvent them. There’s also a great cast, with the very likeable Hisitaro navigating a disparate bunch of relatives and hangers-on seemingly all bent on murder.
It’s a very enjoyable novel that will definitely appeal to anyone who has been exploring non-Western drama on Netflix or other streaming platforms.
While I really enjoyed this, I give it a rather ungenerous 3.5 stars simply because it does feel a bit formulaic, although that’s probably just the Netflix effect. But I definitely recommend it to anyone wishing to explore Japanese fiction.
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My thanks to the publisher, the author and Netgalley for giving me a free copy of this book. All my reviews are 100% honest and unbiased, regardless of how I acquire the book.