Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

It feels like it's been awhile since I read a really good historical fiction novel. This is it! The Riveter is the story of Josiah, a Chinese-Canadian man during World War II, who cannot hold Canadian citizenship. After his father dies, he becomes a ship riveter, meets and falls in love with a woman, and decides to join the armed forces in hopes of being granted citizenship. If he marries, his wife would lose her citizenship. Thus begins his long stint in the Canadian Armed Forces during WWII. Much of this book is set in battle but it never felt boring or unnecessary. The descriptions of Josiah's life, from his peace in Canada to the horror of battle, is so well-written and interesting. I couldn't put this down. Plus, there's a greyhound - the best dog there is!

The Riveter
By Jack Wang


Published by HarperVia (February 11, 2025)
Hardback $23.99
Audiobook $17.63

Reviewed by Ashley Riggleson

World War II novels are not my usual fare, so it takes one that is truly special to catch my interest and keep me reading. But Jack Wang’s new novel, The Riveter, more than makes the cut.

As the novel opens, readers are introduced to an Asian Canadian man named Josiah Chang whose family has been in Canada for generations. His father has died and he, initially unable to fight in the war effort, moves to Vancouver to find work. A strapping man, he is hired as a riveter in a shipyard almost immediately. It is here that he soon meets Poppy, a headstrong woman taking advantage of the shortage of available working men to take a job a woman would ordinarily never be able to fill.

Josiah and Poppy, though from different backgrounds, are immediately attracted to each other, and while their relationship is not perfect, it quickly turns to love. Josiah and Poppy plan to marry each other, but despite best wishes, a fairy tale ending for the two is not to be. Bigoted laws mean that Josiah, family history notwithstanding, is not a citizen.

What is more, Poppy will lose her citizenship if she marries Josiah, and he knows her parents do not approve. And, after an incident in the shipyard, Josiah sees only one way forward, to join the fight abroad. Here, he becomes an elite paratrooper, jumping from planes to help the allies win in Europe. He hopes that his service abroad will change his status at home.

Josiah joins the war effort for love, and he is a brave man, but one of the notable things about this novel is that Josiah is also extremely flawed. He often does things that are mean or self-serving, and readers may sometimes find themselves wondering, “Do I even like this man?” At the same time, it is impossible to not root for him and impossible to not be angry at the society that treats him as a second-class person despite what he is willing to sacrifice for his nation.

It is this believable portrait of a complicated soldier fighting for rights in an imperfect homeland that kept me so involved in this novel. I read this novel for long periods at a time, and found that, even when I was forced to put it down and engage with the real world, I was constantly thinking about Josiah and Poppy, hoping against hope that they would get the lives they wanted.

The Riveter is a novel that is both epic in scope and intimate in detail, and Wang uses the timeless setup of two star-crossed lovers separated by war to explore themes of historical interracial love, systemic racism, and birthright citizenship. Although in some ways this story is as old as time, The Riveter is also a novel that feels achingly of this moment.

Wang is a wise and compassionate novelist whose work, though technically historical, asks readers to consider how much has changed—and not changed—since Josiah’s time.

And although his writing is mostly straight forward, with plot and character work privileged over lyrical prose, there are moments of such stark beauty that they took my breath away.

In short, The Riveter is a worthy addition to the canon of war literature, and readers who pick up this novel will not regret it. I, for one, cannot wait to see what Wang does next.

Ashley Riggleson is a free-lance book reviewer from Rappahannock County. When she is not reading or writing book reviews, she can usually be found playing with her pets, listening to podcasts, or watching television with friends and family.

This review was originally published in FXBG Advance.

I've read a lot of World War II books, and I was quick to grab this one because it was about Canadians during the War. Books with Canadian characters are few and far between on my shelf. I enjoyed learning about Canada's WWII participation and hope that more Canadian-focused books will be published and come my way.

Josiah Chang lives in Canada, but cannot become a citizen because he is Chinese. He meets and falls in love with Poppy, a Caucasian Canadian citizen. I also appreciate that this book broached the topic of interracial relationships during the 1940s. It provided a window as to how society struggled with accepting Josiah and Poppy as a couple. After facing an act of racism by beating up a coworker, Josiah hastily leaves Vancouver.

Josiah eventually joins the service, and he and Poppy endure the war miles apart. Communication between the two leaves both wondering about the terms on which Josiah left and trying to maintain connection through hardships.

The one part of the book that I didn't enjoy was that there seemed to be too many detailed battle scenes. I understand that it IS a book about war, though editing a scene or two out would not take away from the story. I admit I started to skim a page here and there to get to the next part.

I was given a free copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In Vancouver Josiah Chang realizes that both he and Canada are at a crossroads. It’s 1942 and Jack has been working clearing forest lands alongside his father. With the death of his dad, young Jack finds work as a riveter in a shipyard. He can contribute there to the war effort since the Chinese population is not able to join the service. Here he meets the alluring Poppy, a spirited white woman, and they quickly fall in love. But as the war intensifies, Jack wants to prove himself, as a Canadian and as a man worthy of Poppy. He journeys to Toronto where he can finally enlist and after stateside training, he is deployed in Europe as a paratrooper. About two thirds of the book is comprised of his overseas wartime experiences which encompass the mundane of daily living to the adrenalin pumping battlefields.

The author’s descriptions of the Canadian home front romance and the European exploits are very well done. This book gives voice to a WWII experience not often chronicled. Recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for providing this title.

I really enjoyed this story about Josiah and Poppy. I didn't know about the laws regarding citizenship and marriage surrounding the war and that was interesting to learn. I loved that Josiah got to fight for and serve his country. Definitely enjoyed the ending and would consider reading this author again.

easy read and interesting book about the second world war and its effects. 4 stars. tysm for the arc, HarperVia and NetGalley

I was drawn in from the first pages of the first chapter. I have read a lot of books about World War II, but this is the first about a Canadian soldier. Add to that the main character, Josiah, is of Chinese descent and started contributing to the war effort by learning how to riveter for essential supply ships. After being denied enrollment in the military, he was finally accepted to train as a paratrooper. A new perspective on a war that still has untold stories to be told- and this is a great one!

I do not really enjoy war books, so this one was just okay. I think the themes of nationalism/patriotism and racism was interesting and brought up many good points. The author has a good writing style. I think the characters were also well written.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review!!