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I Leave It Up to You
Win a free print copy of this book!
27 days and 13:20:10
15 copies available
U.S. only
From the award-winning author of Flux comes a dazzling novel about love, family, and the art of sushi that 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, 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 pilots through the loss, love, and absurdity of finding one’s footing after the ground gives way.
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, 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 pilots through the loss, love, and absurdity of finding one’s footing after the ground gives way.
- GenresFictionContemporary
320 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication March 4, 2025
About the author
Jinwoo Chong
3 books189 followersJinwoo Chong is the author of the novel Flux, a New York Times Editor’s Choice, a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel and shortlisted for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award, and named a best book of 2023 by Esquire, Apple Books, HuffPost, GQ, Cosmopolitan, and Goodreads.
His short stories and other work have appeared or are forthcoming in Guernica, The Southern Review, The Rumpus, LitHub, Chicago Quarterly Review, and Electric Literature.
His second novel, I Leave It Up to You, is forthcoming spring 2025 in the US from Ballantine and the UK & Commonwealth from Scribe.
His short stories and other work have appeared or are forthcoming in Guernica, The Southern Review, The Rumpus, LitHub, Chicago Quarterly Review, and Electric Literature.
His second novel, I Leave It Up to You, is forthcoming spring 2025 in the US from Ballantine and the UK & Commonwealth from Scribe.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Shelved as '2025'
September 5, 2024📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books
September 8, 2024
This is a fascinating novel about a Japanese-Korean gay man (Jack Jr.) who awakens in the hospital, intubated and not remembering why he's there even though he's been in a coma for almost 2 years. Nurse Emil Cuddy is delighted he's awake but can provide few answers for him as he apparently drove his car into the Hudson River. His boyfriend, Ren has since gotten married and his family owns a sushi restaurant so they take him in as he begins to rehabilitate and work there. But he can't get nurse Cuddy out of his head. And so begins a lovely, often-heartbreaking look at healing and what the human mind and heart can do when supposedly "broken."
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
September 17, 2024
I love sushi but I never expected to like a novel about a Korean sushi chef. And the entire novel was pure delight to read. However, I must advise that those who are offended by "language" or reading about Gay love may not find this book to their liking. I loved it.
The novel begins with JJ (short for Jack Jr.) awakening from a 23-month coma after having been rescued from a car that had fallen into the Hudson River. His male nurse is shocked to discover his patient struggling to cough up his ventilator tube. JJ is soon surrounded by surprised medical staff. He awakes during the tail end of the Covid pandemic, having no idea what happened.
Before long, we meet his entire family. JJ Sr. runs a sushi restaurant in Fort Lee, New Jersey. His parents live apart though they work together, and we meet his older brother, sister-in-law and their teen age and infant sons. There are unresolved conflicts, untold secrets, and money problems. We learn how a Korean man learns to become a skilled sushi chef and how he has taught his son as well.
Jack Jr. is a complex character who, while making a miraculous recovery, still faces difficulties. He falls in love with his male nurse from the hospital but that too brings complications. His teen nephew Juno posts JJ's story on Tik Tok and it gains many followers and a Go Fund Me account. Another local youngster, Zeno, wants to be an apprentice Sushi creator.
I know this sounds like a lot, but every page contains information about fish you never knew (like how it's bought, cut, stored and turned into miraculous food. The process is unfamiliar, yet incredibly real. The family's problems, pain and misunderstanding work towards revelations and solutions as Jack Jr., his family and possible love work out their lives. It's fascinating and immersive reading. This, Chong's second novel, is so alive and moving that I plan to read his first one. Thank you to Net Galley and Ballantine for introducing me to a fine young author.
Come back to your Review on the pub date, Mar 04 2025, to post to retailers.
C
The novel begins with JJ (short for Jack Jr.) awakening from a 23-month coma after having been rescued from a car that had fallen into the Hudson River. His male nurse is shocked to discover his patient struggling to cough up his ventilator tube. JJ is soon surrounded by surprised medical staff. He awakes during the tail end of the Covid pandemic, having no idea what happened.
Before long, we meet his entire family. JJ Sr. runs a sushi restaurant in Fort Lee, New Jersey. His parents live apart though they work together, and we meet his older brother, sister-in-law and their teen age and infant sons. There are unresolved conflicts, untold secrets, and money problems. We learn how a Korean man learns to become a skilled sushi chef and how he has taught his son as well.
Jack Jr. is a complex character who, while making a miraculous recovery, still faces difficulties. He falls in love with his male nurse from the hospital but that too brings complications. His teen nephew Juno posts JJ's story on Tik Tok and it gains many followers and a Go Fund Me account. Another local youngster, Zeno, wants to be an apprentice Sushi creator.
I know this sounds like a lot, but every page contains information about fish you never knew (like how it's bought, cut, stored and turned into miraculous food. The process is unfamiliar, yet incredibly real. The family's problems, pain and misunderstanding work towards revelations and solutions as Jack Jr., his family and possible love work out their lives. It's fascinating and immersive reading. This, Chong's second novel, is so alive and moving that I plan to read his first one. Thank you to Net Galley and Ballantine for introducing me to a fine young author.
Come back to your Review on the pub date, Mar 04 2025, to post to retailers.
C
September 17, 2024
Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on March 4th, 2025.
Writing: 4/5 Characters: 5/5 Plot: 5/5
Loved this unusual book about family, culture, relationships, and … Korean style sushi — all told in a heartfelt, reflective, and often humorous style.
Jack Jr. wakes up from a nearly two year coma to a fair amount of confusion and a deeply interrupted life. So interrupted that his job, apartment, and husband seem to have all disappeared while his family — whom he hadn’t spoken to in years — seems reluctant to give him the information he needs. What follows is a kind of coming-to-age-redux story, as he in many ways has to start over again — forced to revisit familial relationships and previous life choices.
I loved the characters — all deeply drawn, realistic, and appealing (to me); I loved the personal and insightful description of working the sushi restaurant — everything from the creative new dishes to the “fish run” at o’dark thirty AM; and I really loved the clashes between cultural, familial, and internal expectations — also know as “family dynamics.”
I gobbled it up.
Writing: 4/5 Characters: 5/5 Plot: 5/5
Loved this unusual book about family, culture, relationships, and … Korean style sushi — all told in a heartfelt, reflective, and often humorous style.
Jack Jr. wakes up from a nearly two year coma to a fair amount of confusion and a deeply interrupted life. So interrupted that his job, apartment, and husband seem to have all disappeared while his family — whom he hadn’t spoken to in years — seems reluctant to give him the information he needs. What follows is a kind of coming-to-age-redux story, as he in many ways has to start over again — forced to revisit familial relationships and previous life choices.
I loved the characters — all deeply drawn, realistic, and appealing (to me); I loved the personal and insightful description of working the sushi restaurant — everything from the creative new dishes to the “fish run” at o’dark thirty AM; and I really loved the clashes between cultural, familial, and internal expectations — also know as “family dynamics.”
I gobbled it up.
September 15, 2024
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this!
This is the story of Jack Jr, who wakes up from a two year coma and has to figure out how his life will continue on from there and how to fill in the gaps from the time he has missed.
I loved this book. The characters were well written and I cared about them all. This kind of story always makes you think about your own life and the things we take for granted, and this book was no exception to that.
This is the story of Jack Jr, who wakes up from a two year coma and has to figure out how his life will continue on from there and how to fill in the gaps from the time he has missed.
I loved this book. The characters were well written and I cared about them all. This kind of story always makes you think about your own life and the things we take for granted, and this book was no exception to that.
September 10, 2024
This is a lovely story about reconnecting with your family because of a major event. I really enjoyed seeing JJ figure out his sometimes strained relationships and find his place. There’s a slight suspension of disbelief needed for the time line of recovery but outside of that it doesn’t hinder what is a really endearing story overall. They are a really easy family to root for.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews