I Had That Same Dream Again By Yoru Sumino

Description

Riko Yukimura has had a secret since she turned twelve: she can turn back time by exactly twenty-four hours with only one spoken syllable. She doesn’t utilize this gift very often, only when something really bad is about to happen. She has stopped a classmate from killing herself, protected strangers from deadly vehicle accidents, and kept quiet about smaller urges. Every time she goes back, she loses a little bit of her future, and with each reset, she feels more and more cut off from the natural flow of existence.

On a dreary afternoon, Riko is drawn to the overgrown ruins behind the town’s old church. There is a little child with bright red hair buried waist-deep in wet dirt and rusty steel. Kei Miyazono has been stuck in a metal coffin for as long as he can remember. He dies and wakes up in the same confined space over and over again. He asks Riko to get in the coffin and say her rewind statement from within, so that time will loop for both of them and save his life from its harsh cycle.

Riko becomes caught up in a web of unexpected repercussions when she agrees to Kei’s desperate plea. If you rewind time for someone who has been trapped by supernatural forces, it makes the fabric of reality weaker. A family she helped from a house fire loses their home to a fire that no one knows how it started; a friend she stopped from getting hurt finds herself alone because of an unforeseen betrayal. Each loop takes more of Riko’s life force, which makes things much worse and brings her closer to an end that can’t be changed.

Riko and Kei have to deal with the mechanics of his curse, which sends them on a touching journey through memory and sorrow. Kei tells the other person through the tight bars of the casket that his preoccupation with a local mythology about resurrection brought him to this fate. Riko tells him how heavy her power is: every time she rewinds a day, it feels like she’s taking a piece of her own future. They become closer as they talk about their hopes, regrets, and the silent longing for the everyday moments they used to take for granted.

The two find out that Kei’s timeless incarceration came from a buried item in the old church crypt. Riko has to make a new sacrifice every time someone tries to rescue him, whether that means giving up valuable days or seeing the unforeseen consequences of her actions. They hear ghostly echoes of people who have died in the loop in the past, which reminds them that messing with fate has effects that go beyond two lifetimes. Their fragile alliance is up against unfathomable choices: save one life at the cost of another, stay stuck in the loop forever, or accept that some things are beyond human control. They are running out of time and Riko’s power.

Yoru Sumino’s writing is both poetic and cutting, creating a tapestry of feelings that includes sadness, optimism, and the healing power of kindness. I Had That Same Dream Again is more than just a magical realism narrative; it’s also a reflection on the morality of intervening and the power of human connection to heal. By the end of the book, readers will be out of breath because they will realize that we can’t change every moment of our lives, but the love we give, even in the darkest hour, can light the way ahead.

About the Author

Yoru Sumino is a Japanese novelist whose emotionally resonant tales meld lyrical fantasy with profound explorations of loss and redemption. Her debut, If Cats Disappeared from the World, became an international bestseller and inspired a feature film. Sumino’s work consistently invites readers to confront life’s most difficult questions: how we cope with regret, the meaning of sacrifice, and the transformative power of empathy. She lives in Tokyo, where she continues to craft stories that linger long after the final page is turned.

Product Details

• Title: I Had That Same Dream Again
• Author: Yoru Sumino
• ISBN-13: 9781593070205
• Publisher: Vertical, Inc.
• Published: October 22, 2019
• Pages: 216
• Binding: Paperpack