Book Presentation: Alina Sarnatska: SCAM

This event presents SCAM, a literary debut novel by Ukrainian playwright, frontline veteran, and battlefield medic Alina Sarnatska about Russia's war against Ukraine. Publisher Vydavnytstvo will release the work in April 2026.

Most war novels ask how people fight. SCAM asks how they continue to live. Through three interwoven voices, the book follows Lenka, who works at InstantCASH and dreams of a holiday by the sea; her husband Kostia, who is preparing to leave for eastern Ukraine; and medic Alisa, who works near the front and dreams of returning home. War gradually erodes the structures that make these everyday dreams possible.

At the event, Alina Sarnatska and Vydavnytstvo publisher Liliia Omelianenko will have a discussion in Ukrainian, which will be interpreted into English. Omelianenko has over 25 years of experience in project management in the publishing industry and has worked at Vydavnytstvo for over a decade. Sarnatska is a member of PEN Ukraine and holds a doctorate in social work; her plays have been performed at, among others, Dramaten in Stockholm and Schauspiel in Stuttgart, and The Guardian and The Observer have written about her work.

The event is organized by the Ukrainian Association in Finland. Estimated duration: 1 hour 30 minutes.