in which Winslet acts out (with gusto) her worst-ever wardrobe malfunction. Slight spoiler: She walked into a bathroom wearing a dress, and walked out in … well, we’ll let her tell it.

And there’s the dilemma—one of many in Mischa Berlinski’s witty, mournful novel “Mona Acts Out”: Six opioids will likely be insufficient to get Mona through this particular day.

In Mischa Berlinski’s extravagantly brilliant and darkly funny new novel, Mona Acts Out, the eponymous heroine does just that. Mona Zahid, a celebrated stage actor, has a lot on her mind. She is ...