Book Summary and Reviews of I Leave It Up to You by Jinwoo Chong

Book Summary

From the award-winning author of Flux comes a dazzling novel about love, family, and the art of sushi that asks: What if you could return to the point of a fateful choice, wiser than before, and find the courage to forge a new path?

A coma can change a man, but the world Jack Jr. awakens to is one he barely recognizes. His advertising job is history, his Manhattan apartment is gone, and the love of his life has left him behind. He's been asleep for two years; with no one to turn to, he realizes it's been ten years since he last saw his family.

Lost and disoriented, he makes a reluctant homecoming back to the bustling Korean American enclave of Fort Lee, New Jersey; back into the waiting arms of his parents, who are operating under the illusion he never left; and back to Joja, their ever-struggling sushi restaurant that he was set to inherit before he ran away from it all. As he steps back into the life he abandoned—learning his Appa's life lessons over crates of tuna on bleary-eyed 4 AM fish runs, doling out amberjack behind the omakase counter while his Umma tallies the night's pitiful number of customers, and sparring with his recovering alcoholic brother, James—he embraces new roles, too: That of romantic interest to the male nurse who took care of him throughout, and that of sage (but underqualified) uncle to his gangly teenage nephew.

There is value in the joyous rhythms of this once-abandoned life. But second chances are an even messier business than running a restaurant, and the lure of a self-determined path might, once again, prove too hard to resist.

Why do we run from those we love, and why do we still love those who run from us? A highly entertaining and poignant story about second chances and self-discovery, I Leave It Up to You navigates loss, love, and the absurdity of finding one's footing after the ground gives way.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. How does Jack Jr.'s coma and subsequent awakening serve as a catalyst for his transformation? In what ways does his character evolve throughout the novel?
2. Discuss the complexities of Jack Jr.'s relationship with his family. How do his parents and brother react to his return, and how do these relationships develop over the course of the story?
3. How does the setting of the Korean American enclave in Fort Lee, New Jersey, influence the characters and their interactions? In what ways does Jack Jr.'s cultural heritage play a role in his journey of self-discovery?
4. The idea of second chances is central to the novel. How do Jack Jr. and other characters navigate the opportunities for redemption and renewal presented to them...