The Riveter

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. 

Author Biography

Jack Wang is the author of the award-winning story collection We Two Alone. He holds an MFA from the University of Arizona and a PhD in English from Florida State University, and he is the recipient of an Artist Fellowship in Fiction from the New York Foundation for the Arts and the David T. K. Wong Creative Writing Fellowship from the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Wang is a professor of writing at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York, where he lives with his wife and their two daughters.