India, Feb. 21 -- Mongrel feels like a novel written from the body as much as from the mind. Did it begin as a story you consciously wanted to tell?

The story came about because, as an actor, I wasn't being offered roles - or at times, even the opportunity to audition for roles - that reflected my lived experience as a Japanese-British woman. When the Caucasian roles came in, I was told I wasn't white enough. When the Japanese roles came in, I was told I wasn't Japanese enough. Mongrel came out of that frustration, that anger, that desire to be understood. It was a way I could bridge how I was externally perceived to how I internally understand myself.

I was raised on my Japanese mum's love for food and culture, and so I feel very Japan...