The Man Who Died Seven Times

The Man Who Died Seven Times by Yasuhiko Nishizawa is a very well-written mystery tale using the concept of a time loop. Our protagonist, Hisataro, a high school student, has suffered from the Trap, or the experience of being condemned to repeat 9 days of his life periodically. He just happens to experience it during a moment of heightened tensions as his wealthy grandfather is planning to name a new heir. Dysfunctional does not even begin to describe the Fuchigami family's conflict, resentment, pettiness, and willingness to do whatever it takes to inherit the family patriarch's wealth and leadership of his profitable company. Hisataro, however, has no interest in inheriting his grandfather's fortune or leading his company. He does, however, want his grandfather to survive and must shape the timeline to ensure that his grandfather survives the final loop. Although he usually fails to ensure his grandfather's survival, repetition of the day with his memories intact allows him to use the incrementally-increased knowledge and experience to better plan for the day. As one might expect, there is a good "twist" here and the novel ends in a way that accentuates the family's ongoing feuds despite all that Hisataro achieves. In other words, this novel does a great (and humorous) job depicting a totally dysfunctional family and the benefits (or curse) of a time loop. One can change one's fate, but perhaps only slightly...