If you think that another World War II novel is white noise, you would be wrong about The Riveter by Jack Wang. I can guarantee that this book offers a fresh perspective. The Riveter follows Josiah Chang, a man of Chinese descent living in Canada. Though his family has been living in Canada for multiple generations, people of Chinese descent are not granted citizenship. When Josiah falls in love with Poppy, a fascinating and beautiful Canadian woman, he wants nothing more than build a life with her. However, if they marry, she will lose her Canadian citizenship. Though people of Chinese descent cannot join the military in fear that they will expect citizenship, Josiah finds a way to join the fight.
This book tackles the themes of loyalty and identity with the most gorgeous prose. I found myself going back time and again to read passages about Josiah’s evolving understanding of himself in dynamic contexts as a son, a Canadian, a soldier, and a partner. What lengths would he go to become worthy of Poppy and the respect the country that he calls home? I found the book to be a refreshing exploration of self in the midst of a world in global chaos. Having finished the book, I ache to get to know Josiah more deeply as he comes to better understand himself. What a brilliantly written book!

I really enjoyed this debut novel from Canadian author, Jack Wang that is set just before, during and after WWII and follows Josiah Chang, a Chinese Canadian without citizenship who falls hard for Poppy, a young white woman he meets in a bar while she's singing on stages. The two have a whirlwind interracial romance but the harsh reality of Josiah's status causes him to enlist in the hope he might be able to earn the right to be called an official Canadian.

Moving, heartbreaking, action-packed and educational, this book brings out all the emotions and was great on audio too. Highly recommended for fans of books like The laundryman's boy. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review. I knew more about Japanese Canadians' experience during WWII but little about the Chinese Canadian experience and even less about parachuters during the war so this was a great read for me!