New
Public Access Afterworld
by Jane Schoenbrun
New Book of the Week , November 13, 2026
“Alone. Underneath the stars. Lost somewhere in the cinematic universe.”
On a basement floor in suburbia, Tom Sawyer and Erin Morrison sit eager in front of an old Toshiba to bear witness to television’s switch from analog to digital. In the glow of the hissing static wash that follows, who they are and who they ever were becomes an answer that’s lost somewhere far between here and the TV screen. Across decades and dimensions—the analog and the digital—Public Access Afterworld is a conspiracy that forms in the incorporeal flesh of a dying signal. Afterworld fits neatly within the Schoenbrun canon and their exploration of the screen as portal, act of self-actualization, and prison. Jane again has created something precious. Public Access Afterworld is the book I’ve been searching for, for a long time.
On a basement floor in suburbia, Tom Sawyer and Erin Morrison sit eager in front of an old Toshiba to bear witness to television’s switch from analog to digital. In the glow of the hissing static wash that follows, who they are and who they ever were becomes an answer that’s lost somewhere far between here and the TV screen. Across decades and dimensions—the analog and the digital—Public Access Afterworld is a conspiracy that forms in the incorporeal flesh of a dying signal. Afterworld fits neatly within the Schoenbrun canon and their exploration of the screen as portal, act of self-actualization, and prison. Jane again has created something precious. Public Access Afterworld is the book I’ve been searching for, for a long time.
— Shane
Public Access Afterworld was reviewed in Newsletter #419 on November 13, 2026. For more like this, and other bookish news, sign up for the newsletter .
Swipe for Next
Press ← or → for next