Your Presence Is Mandatory

by Sasha Vasilyuk

Winner of the 2025 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature | Gold Medal Winner for the 94th Annual California Book Awards | Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize

A riveting debut novel, based on real events, about the price of secrecy, the weight of lies, and one man's drive to protect his family from his past.

Ukraine, 2007. War veteran Yefim Shulman was beloved by his children, wife, and coworkers. But in the days after his death, his widow, Nina, finds a letter to the KGB in his briefcase. Yefim had a lifelong secret, and his confession forces Nina and her children to reassess the husband, father, and grandfather they thought they knew and the bonds they'd formed with him and each other.

Following one family over the course of 70 years and three generations, Sasha Vasilyuk shines a light into the shadowy corners of a marriage marred by secrecy and the sacrifices people make to survive under a paranoid. Compassionate, gripping, and intimate, Your Presence Is Mandatory is "at once a historical epic, an engrossing family saga, and an astute examination of morality, survival, hope, and love" (Lara Prescott).

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, World War II, Russia, Ukraine, War, Historical

336 pages, Paperback

First published April 23, 2024

About the author

Sasha Vasilyuk is a journalist and author of debut novel YOUR PRESENCE IS MANDATORY. She grew up between Ukraine and Russia before immigrating to San Francisco at the age of 13. She has a MA in Journalism from New York University and her nonfiction has been published in the New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, Los Angeles Times, TIME, the Telegraph, USA Today, and elsewhere.

Besides writing, she has founded a leading wedding PR company and one of the first coworking spaces in the U.S. She also spent a year traveling alone around the world.

Reviews

[Ірина Грабовська · Rating 1 out of 5]

Russian voice shouldn’t tell stories about Ukrainians. Colonisers shouldn’t speak for the nation they oppressed

[Sadwick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Сolonizer telling stories about Ukrainians.

Suddenly Sasha Vasilyuk (who used to call herself exclusively “russian-American”) now claims Ukrainian heritage in 2024.
Sasha could not care less that russian forces poured into Ukraine in 2014, occupying Crimea and a chunk of the eastern regions, yeah.

Sasha Vasilyuk profited off the very people russia destroying now. You ALWAYS hear russian voices BECAUSE they forced their way into the people they colonized and they do it to this very day.
Even the anti-putin.

[wow_42 · Rating 1 out of 5]

this is not a book — it’s a distorted narrative laced with echoes of russian propaganda.

maybe it's enough to parasitise Ukrainians and their history? yes, stop it.

appropriating someone else’s culture instead of creating your own is a well-known imperial pattern.

read history, and do not sympathise with «good russians».

[Ксенія Шпак · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author of this book calls herself "Russian-American" (at least until 2022). That`s fine. I just don`t understand why, after 2022, the author decided to write about Ukrainian land. The author grew up in Moscow and doesn`t know Ukrainian language at all, only Russian. So she can`t read Ukrainian sources, only Russian (full of anti-Ukrainian propaganda and lies) or sources in English (there are not many good sources about Ukraine, and part of them is also full of Russian colonial imperialistic views). So what do we get here? Russians have been talking with the West about us without us for centuries. And now someone with a Russian-American identity makes the same. I'm tired of this. Many talented Ukrainian writers are at the frontlines or volunteer or are simply depressed because of the war. Some of them are already dead! We don`t have time to write, so someone from a culture of enemy will tell our stories!
Also funny that in one article Sasha Vasilyuk states that this book will not be released in Ukraine because we are "fighting a war and don't wanna read about one". It`s so untrue and shows that author sooooo out of our context. Now we read about WWII much more then ever, we also read about war in the Balkans, because we want to find some relevant experience. But we really don`t want to hear Russian voices.

[Alina · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Not all writing is worth reading. Just because someone can put words on a page doesn’t mean they are worth reading or add value." - Schopenhauer’s strategy on
imperialistic authors who jump at the opportunity to make money on the hype trend of Ukraine (when suddenly their russian heritage is faut pas)

This author has NOTHING to do with Ukrainian history, Ukrainian people or in fact human decency.

Read Bloodlands by Timothy Snyder, read any book by Serhii Plokhy read buy and support any other Ukrainian author if you want to learn about Ukraine.

[анастасія віталіївна · Rating 1 out of 5]

Russian colonizers have no right to speak on behalf of the Ukrainian people

[Y · Rating 1 out of 5]

A coloniser selling stories of a country they try to colonise, during the ongoing war. Disgusting

[murmur · Rating 1 out of 5]

A Ukrainian story told by Russian during Russo-Ukrainian war. What could go wrong?

[Train Noise · Rating 1 out of 5]

who else knows better on oppressing than the oppressor herself? shame to see such literature being promoted

[Анна Мейгеш · Rating 1 out of 5]

The colonizers write on behalf of the nation they oppressed. wow

[Yuri · Rating 1 out of 5]

this is nonsense. a russian writes a book about life in Ukraine, it is beyond nonsense, you just can’t make this up

[Jessie Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved SO MUCH about this book!

The themes of guilt and betrayal and fidelity and honor and protection and duty that are woven throughout.

The moments of gallows humor, the deep ironies and sheer randomness of survival, the tenderness and warmth stolen in small pockets of time.

The friendships! I was rooting for these characters to survive against all odds.

The unflinching examination of morality, which in a time of war (and its long aftermath) isn't easy to define.

The action! This isn't one of those pretty-word books where nothing happens. THINGS HAPPENED.

The different perspectives of those who leave vs. those who stay--and the life-long misunderstandings that result.

And finally, maybe most of all--the family. This family! With its secrets and lies and devotion and silence. An engrossing family saga that kept me turning the pages.

(This review is based on an advanced reader’s copy.)

[Анастасія · Rating 1 out of 5]

Colonizers shoudn’t be given a platform to speak about our history

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

omfg. this book is an absolute triumph. I can’t even imagine how much research and wrenching family history the author had to dig through to make this happen. i’m so in awe of her and of this deeply affecting novel.

[Mariia Bondarenko · Rating 1 out of 5]

ruzzians don’t have rights to write and talk about Ukraine or ukrainian history.

[Tetiana Dzhyhar · Rating 1 out of 5]

No russian voice in stories about Ukrainians.

[Svetlana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this sprawling family saga that sometimes veers into thriller territory. In particular, I was impressed by how Vasilyuk juggles many different narrators (all part of a big family), different time frames and different geographic locations. Even the most unlikely events are described in such vivid, convincing detail that I never paused to doubt them. Also, as someone who was born in the USSR, I found that this book genuinely reflected the reality I experienced growing up during the eighties and the nineties.

[Аджума Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

The colonizers have no right to tell the history of the colonized. The executioner telling the story of the tortured sounds like another way of mocking the entire nation.

[Melanie Hensey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sweeping story of a Ukrainian Jew, and his family, during WW2 up until the 2015 Russian-Ukranian conflict. I now have a better understanding of what life might have been like during this time period for the people who lived through it. An engrossing story of love, family, secrets, and sacrifice which will touch your heart and stay with you for a long time.

[Дара Квітень · Rating 1 out of 5]

russians have no right to write about Ukraine and/or Ukrainians.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Your Presence is Mandatory is, in my opinion, a masterpiece. It provides a unique perspective in a very crowded field of WWII stories in historical fiction. This journey is heart-breaking and thrilling in equal measure, due to both the war narrative and the later family dynamics that pepper the book as a counter-balance. The truly beautiful and impactful piece of this novel is that it is a soldiers story, a Jewish person's story, but it is also the story of his family around him, as history and decisions made reverberate throughout their lives.

I was so captivated by this novel and have no hardy critiques. The writing is lovely, but clear and straightforward. The flow is dynamic yet heartfelt enough to be savored. It felt particularly significant to receive anecdotal glimpses of the past connections and disconnections between Ukraine and Russia, particularly with what the World is watching today. I found the themes of guilt, betrayal, the pressure we put on ourselves, and put on us by others to be masterfully woven into this story. Your Presence is Mandatory will clench your stomach, break your heart, but it will also open your eyes. To me, those are the best kinds of stories.

[JXR · Rating 5 out of 5]

epic historical fiction, i found it very relevant to the stuff going on nowadays and very interesting studying our main char Yelim. thanks for the arc

[Heather Fineisen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful tale of a Red Army Jewish artillery man survives the war. A chronicle of the shame and guilt of German prisoners of war and the lie Schulman lives with throughout his life. Adventures and harshness is shared through alternating chapters from war days and after war days. A subject I don't know much about from this perspective, especially. The characters were many but distinct. and have a certain humanity that relates to today's war in Ukraine. Historical, yet timely. Overall a good and unique read for me.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

[Maria Kuznetsova · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a powerful novel about family secrets, legacy, loss, and intergenerational trauma and bonds that resonates more than ever with today's world. It also happens to have the bonus of being a page turner. Highly, highly, highly recommend!

[Lee Kravetz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good historical fiction tells a story set in a certain time and place; great historical fiction tells the story BECAUSE of a different time and place that looks remarkably, mirror like, like our. Your Presence Is Mandatory the latter and then some. It has the sweep of an epic, the pace of a thriller, the grace of a love story, and it works on all three levels. Most importantly, it moved me. It deserves every star. I was just amazed by this novel.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sasha is so good at imagining the past and making it come to life. As someone from both Ukraine and Russia, she has a unique vantage point to discuss the horrors of war. I highly recommend this book.

[Vanessa Hua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous and gripping, nuanced and utterly compelling.

[Lizanne Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historical fiction has the power to make history come alive. Your Presence is Mandatory is an epic novel that sheds light on the different way USSR treated their own soldiers who were captured by the enemy and held as POWs. As we follow Yerim Shulman throughout his life, a different picture emerges of life before, during, and after WWII for a Jewish Ukrainian man and his family. It’s a life that’s hard to imagine amid the comforts of our 21st century homes with all our conveniences and privileges. For me, that’s just one of the reasons this book is a must read. It’s dark and sad, but it’s a window to the present in Ukraine.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you, NetGalley and publishers.

Your Presence is Mandatory is a powerful debut work of literary and historical fiction. At its heart it is a story of survival and the human spirit. Spanning from WWII to the present day conflict in Ukraine, one family, and particularly the man who would become the patriarch of the family, Yefim, must make choices to survive and decide where their true loyalties lie, to a country, to each other, to themselves. Please give this one a try! You won’t be disappointed!

[Jenbebookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was compulsively readable, a strong 4 stars. I was engaged from beginning to end, the characters and storylines were interesting & compelling. I have no real complaints about this book. I thought it was interesting to be reading from the POV of a Russian POW during WWII, that’s a perspective I have not read from before.

What kept this from being a 5 star book was just that it didn’t feel especially different from every other WWII book I’ve read, it didn’t stand out, & also I didn’t love the fact that the entire storyline was predicated on the fact that being a POW was a shameful thing. That might be reality for Russians, but to me it felt ridiculous that his family would feel shame or embarrassment over his history, especially after having heard the whole story from his POV. I also was expecting a bit of a historical thriller, more of a mystery unfolding & that was not really the case. We more so just follow the story of our MC piece by piece, & based on the way the story is told in alternating timelines, a story unfolds but it’s not a historical thriller.

I did appreciate the author’s note at the end, letting us know that a majority of the book was based off the actual life of her grandfather.

I’d still recommend this to anyone looking to read a WWII story.