The Tree of After Life (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780578945934)

Hyosun's son Jason died and his fianc馥 Carrie couldn't be bothered to stick around a moment after he was put in the ground. Soon after, Jason's two million dollar estate has been tapped dry and Carrie is nowhere to be found.

With the help of a private detective from Staten Island named Toscano, who is at the bottom of anyone's list of investigators, Hyosun journeys to uncover the life of her estranged son, his relationship with this non-Korean partner and reconciling with her past.

The story is about facing the internal barriers that race and tradition create between members of an immigrant family. Carrie embodies non-traditional definitions of family and furthers Jason's desire to make more meaningful connections than by simply following the rules of society.

Hyosun's story is told through the journey she embarks on with Toscano to learn about the life she missed out on with Jason - her strict culturally obstinate lifestyle and beliefs drove a wedge between them at an early age. They discover a journal written by Carrie that chronicles their time at the rehab facility where Jason was trying to recover from a critical brain injury he suffered in a car accident. Using the clues the journal provides, they travel to Chicago to retrace steps in Jason and Carrie's life together in order to understand what happened to the money and where Carrie may be hiding.