On today’s program, Sasha Vasilyuk joins us to talk about her debut novel, Your Presence is Mandatory.
The book takes place in Ukraine, 2007, and centers on Yefim Shulman, husband, grandfather and war veteran, beloved by his family and community. But in the days following his death, Yefim’s widow finds a letter to the KGB in his briefcase. She discovers Yefim had a lifelong secret, with his confession forcing his family to reassess the man they thought they knew.
Sasha Vasilyuk’s work has appeared the New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, the Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere. Your Presence is Mandatory, based on her grandfather’s life as a Ukrainian Jewish veteran of WWII, is her debut novel.
