At once a historical epic, an engrossing family saga, and an astute examination of morality, survival, hope, and love, Your Presence Is Mandatory is a stunning feat. The emotional impact of reading Sasha Vasilyuk's gripping debut is immense. I sat with the vivid characters Vasilyuk has created for hours after reading, and I continue to think of them. Your Presence Is Mandatory is a book to last generations, and one I won't soon forget.

Lara Prescott, New York Times bestselling author of THE SECRETS WE KEPT

Through meticulous attention to specifics and empathetic, searching characterization, Vasilyuk achieves a sense of historical and emotional authenticity-thereby offering her readers a compelling exploration of both the distant past and more recent events . . . Vasilyuk's engagement with uncomfortable truths is chief among many reasons I think it's so important for my former compatriots to read her novel.

Los Angeles Review of Books

A gratifyingly specific portrait of a Jewish Ukrainian whose plight reflects that of his native country . . . Vasilyuk's depiction of the era is impressively detailed . . . Though Your Presence Is Mandatory focuses on one Ukrainian, it resonates far beyond Eastern Europe.

San Francisco Chronicle

A Ukrainian soldier survives World War II to face a lifetime of secrets . . . Chapters set during the war alternate with chapters set much later; to begin with, Yefim, as an old man, has just died, and among his papers, his wife has found a letter to the KGB that seems to indicate that much of what he has told his family about his wartime experiences was untrue. Vasilyuk, a journalist as well as a debut novelist, sets out to comb through all this with patience, subtlety, and finesse.

Kirkus Reviews

Early reviewers are raving about this debut that touches on themes of guilt and betrayal, family and friendship.

Goodreads

Vasilyuk manages to capture both the story's intimate drama and its epic qualities, telling the story of a double life and its reverberations across borders and generations.

Crimereads