Overview

In the vein of All the Light We Cannot See, a cross-cultural love story set against the dramatic backdrop of the Allied invasion of Europe during WWII. Vancouver, 1942. Josiah Chang arrives in the bustling city ready to make a new life for himself. The Second World War is in full swing, and Josiah, like so many Canadians, wants to prove his loyalty by serving his country. But Chinese Canadians are barred from joining the army out of fear they might expect citizenship in return. So, Josiah heads to the shipyard where he finds work as a riveter, fastening together the ribs and steel plates of Victory ships.  One night, Josiah spots Poppy singing at a navy club. Despite their different backgrounds, they fall for each other instantly, and soon Josiah is spending his nights at Poppy’s small wartime house. Their starry-eyed romance lasts until Poppy’s father comes to visit and the harsh reality of their situation is made clear. Determined to prove himself to Poppy, her parents, and the world, Josiah travels to Toronto where he’s finally given the chance to enlist. Josiah rises to the occasion, but is the world changing as fast as his dreams...   From the critically acclaimed author of We Two Alone, Jack Wang’s gorgeous debut novel explores what one man must sacrifice to belong in the only home he has ever truly known. 

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9780063081833

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Reviews

""THE RIVETER, Jack Wang’s assured and glorious debut novel, is a war story, a love story, and an exploration of the forces that hold us together or pull us apart. From the opening pages, we are dropped into the world of Josiah Chang, a Chinese Canadian serving in an elite paratrooper battalion during WWII. Themes of honor, duty, and brotherhood on the battlefield are interlaced throughout, adding philosophical depth to the action-packed scenes. Beyond the battlefield, THE RIVETER probes the limits of love through Josiah and Poppy’s cross-cultural romance, evolving through the years to the unforgettable and emotional final pages."" — Melissa Fu, New York Times bestselling author of Peach Blossom Spring

Author Information

Jack Wang received an MFA from the University of Arizona and a PhD in English from Florida State University. His fiction has been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize and longlisted for the Journey Prize. In 2014-2015, he held the David T. K. Wong Creative Writing Fellowship at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Wang is an associate professor of writing at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York, where he lives with his wife, novelist Angelina Mirabella, and their two daughters.

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