'Mona Acts Out' by Mischa Berlinski explores grief, career, and self-destruction
Mischa Berlinski’s Mona Acts Out follows an actress navigating loss, addiction, and artistic ambition.
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| Illustration by Boris SV |
By Hayu Andini and Adila Ghina
Mona Acts Out, by Mischa Berlinski
In Mischa Berlinski’s novel Mona Acts Out, protagonist Mona Zahid faces an emotional and existential crisis, wrestling with grief, addiction, and the harsh realities of an aging acting career. Set against the backdrop of New York’s off-off Broadway theater scene, the novel blends dark humor and sharp observations to explore the complex interplay between personal loss and professional ambition.
Mona, a 40-something actress, is struggling to cope with the death of her sister, Zahra. Her dwindling supply of six little yellow pills—leftover opioids from Zahra’s hospice kit—serves as both a crutch and a symbol of her unraveling state. Thanksgiving, the first since Zahra’s passing, looms large, bringing the pressure of hosting a family meal. As Mona self-medicates in the morning, she can already hear her in-laws stirring on the other side of her bedroom door.
A career at a crossroads
Mona is a longtime member of Disorder’d Rabble, a prestigious yet obscure off-off Broadway theater company devoted to Shakespearean works. She has moved through the ranks of the Bard’s heroines—from Juliet to Viola, Olivia, and Lady Macbeth. Now, she finds herself cast as Cleopatra, a role she views as both an honor and a final chapter. The weight of the part unsettles her. “Age cannot wither her nor custom stale / Her infinite variety.” But how does one play that?
Beyond her own doubts, Mona is still processing the departure of her mentor, Milton Katz, who was dismissed from Disorder’d Rabble following allegations of sexual misconduct. While she acknowledges the problematic aspects of his legacy, she also feels his absence deeply. “Milton had been for decades of her life a boarder in a psychic spare bedroom. Now that he was moved out, she enjoyed the extra space.” Yet when she receives a cryptic postcard from him—“I am dying”—it disrupts her fragile balance.
A journey into chaos
Desperate for an escape from Thanksgiving preparations, Mona seizes on a flimsy excuse—running out for parsley—and heads to Brooklyn to visit Milton. What should be a brief errand spirals into a series of meandering detours, mirroring the disorder of Mona’s own mind.
At this juncture, the novel risks testing the reader’s patience. Mona’s scattered wanderings, while reflective of her turmoil, verge on tedious. However, Berlinski’s writing shines when delving into the intricacies of Shakespeare’s text. The novel’s most compelling moments place the reader inside the charged atmosphere of rehearsals and performances, offering insight into Mona’s artistry and the enduring power of theater.
A flawed but intriguing character study
Mona Acts Out is a novel that oscillates between wit and melancholy, offering an intimate look at a woman struggling to hold herself together. Mona’s self-absorption is tempered by her biting self-awareness, making her an engaging—if at times exasperating—protagonist.
While some sections feel meandering, Berlinski captures the essence of artistic dedication, the weight of loss, and the challenge of redefining oneself. For those drawn to stories about theater, grief, and the passage of time, Mona Acts Out delivers a poignant, if imperfect, performance.
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