I Leave It Up to You: A Novel by Jinwoo Chong

‘Maybe I’ve been waiting my whole life for a novel about a Korean sushi chef in Fort Lee, New Jersey? I Leave It Up to You is funny and tender, with characters whose lives are satisfyingly messy. Jinwoo Chong is a writer for those of us who exist between cultures and identities.’ Gabrielle Zevin, New York Times bestselling author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

A hilarious, heartwarming rom-com that proves that sometimes home is exactly where you belong.

Jack Jr woke up from a two-year coma with a pounding headache, a brand new ex-fiancé, and the distinct feeling he’d missed something big. Like, global pandemic big.

Reluctantly returning to New Jersey, and a kitchen job at the sushi restaurant his family runs, he finds himself suddenly dependent on his dysfunctional and very estranged Asian American family: headstrong fishmonger father, Jack Sr; his recovering alcoholic brother, James; and his rebellious teenage nephew, Juno. And then there's Emil Cuddy, Jack Jr’s former nurse, who may offer a glimmer of hope, but who’s struggling with complicated feelings of his own …

Can Jack Jr navigate the family chaos, rebuild his life, and maybe even find love (or at least a decent date) in a world that’s moved on without him?

Hardback / 320 pages