Public Access Afterworld

by Jane Schoenbrun, Stefanie Adam, Kristof Kurz

Ein episches Debüt über Identität und die düsteren Geschichten, die unsere Welt prägen.


Am 12. Juni 2009 treffen sich David Sawyer und Erin Morrison, zwei nerdige und verliebte Teenager, in Erins Keller, um live mitzuerleben, wie das analoge Fernsehsignal abgestellt wird. Im Flimmern des Fernsehbildes nach der Abschaltung meint Erin, etwas zu erkennen: eine Sendung namens Public Access Afterworld. Erin ist wie besessen davon, bis sie spurlos verschwindet. David macht sich auf die Suche nach ihr – und nach Public Access Afterworld. Vierzehn Jahre später stößt die Content-Moderatorin Bethany im Strom sinnloser und abscheulicher Videos auf eine junge Frau, die ebenfalls von dieser mysteriösen Sendung spricht. Auch Bethany beginnt, nach Public Access Afterworld zu suchen und begibt sich auf eine Reise mitten ins Herz der amerikanischen Finsternis. Eine Reise bis an den Rand der Realität …

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Science Fiction, Queer, LGBT, Adult, Thriller

496 pages, ebook

Expected publication October 27, 2026

About the author

Jane Schoenbrun is an award-winning filmmaker and writer. Their films include I Saw the TV Glow and We’re All Going to the World’s Fair. Their newest film, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma starring Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder, releases in 2026. Public Access Afterworld is their first novel.

Reviews

[Renee Godding]

No clue what it’s about. I just read “by the creator of I Saw The TV Glow” and I don’t need any more information. Let’s go.

[Paul]

In Jane Schoenbrun's electric Public Access Afterworld the American dream is refracted through the lens of the history of television to show its true nightmare self. Thrilling, heart-wrenching, hilarious, visionary, and so damned smart, this novel is a major work from a major talent.

[Sidney]

officially calling it quits at 76%

this is one of those situations where the idea would be much better as a tv series. the premise is amazing & in no way can i even begin to describe what this book is about. Public Access Afterworld offers a fresh concept that i personally have never seen before. it's weird, but unfortunately it's also too all over the place for my personal taste.

this started out so strong i was positive this was going to be a 4+ star by the end of episode two y'all. i was confused, sure, but i was excited to see what Public Access Afterworld was, how it ended etc. by episode five it felt like i took an edible & had a bad trip or something. i just wanted it to end. honestly, i would have finished it if i hadn't seen other early reviewers who were just as confused as me saying that nothing is ever really explained.

i'm sorry, but i don't have 600 pgs of patience to read a book & nothing be explained in the end. there's way too many ideas thrown into one single book & even for it being 600 pgs, it somehow feels way too long & incomplete at the same time. what was the point? what is PAA? is it a government experiment? is it really just one rich family behind the whole thing? is it a cult? can someone who rated the book 5 stars & clearly understood it better than i did fill me in?

the writing was fine, at times basic & repetitive, with some run on sentences. the pacing around the halfway mark just gets incredibly slow. the characters were ok, i didn't really like or dislike any of them. i'm not sure why the author felt the need to use full names plus nicknames what felt like almost every time a character was mentioned, but that drove me nuts. by the twelfth "Anthony 'Fisch' Fischer" i was over it.

i'm clearly an outlier here, so maybe this was a "it's not you, it's me" issue. there's obviously an audience for this that seem to love it, but for my personal taste, Public Access Afterworld was just trying to do too much & ultimately missed the mark.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review

[Sam Hughes]

Um. I need some time to write a full review bc I am in SHOCK. 11/5 stars. (May 16, 2026)

Okay, review edit (May 20, 2026) -- I truly needed to let this sit for 4 days to try to process that outcome and my emotions —like, will there be a sequel, or is that up to my own interpretation???

I am absolutely ASTOUNDED and thankful to Hogarth Books, the lovely Jane Schoenbrun, and NetGalley for advanced access to this TWISTED analog horror before it shocks the public on October 27, 2026.

Public Access Afterworld is a place that exists underneath all the static of your television's regularly scheduled programming. It traps its crooked inhabitants in a creativity-farming hub that eliminates their physical being from our plane for the rest of eternity... fun.

Our assumed main character, David Sawyer, is on a quest to rescue his best friend, Erin Morrison, from Public Access Afterworld after she was taken by the static decades ago. In an attempt to locate those who could travel to this mystical realm, he gathers a unique group of followers and somehow attains "cult-leader" status as a result of his eccentric views.

Halfway across the country, we're introduced to Bethany Peters, a trans woman who's still trying to find herself and escape her sexless relationship and dead-end job. That dead-end job, however, has a connection to the PAA, and it's only a matter of time before the lore of this evil corporation reveals its true intentions to "save" the world???

GOSH DANGIT. I feel like that's all I can say without giving away too much. Each and every twist left me needing to pick my jaw up off the ground time and time again. I am SHOOK, and obsessed.

[Becky Spratford]

Reading for review in a future issue of Booklist

Three Words That Describe This Book: immersive*, haunted media, Lynchian

*(pun is intended after you read the book)

There are so many more words, but I think Lynchian helps get a few of them. More words, off kilter, overlapping and meshed together storylines and time frames, every detail matters, unsettling, entrancing, a love letter to the early days of the internet and television in general-- but also that's where the horror comes from, episodic (which breaks up the 600 pages) nicely, amazing, diverse, and unforgettable cast of characters, widely original, compelling, fascinating, cinematic, worth every second.

This novel spans decades but they all work together and overlap in ways that are easy to follow.

This is one of the best debut novels I have ever read. Full Stop. I do not take recommending a 600 page book likely. Most are not worth you time. This one is.....every second of it is, or should I say every episode.

To be fair Schoenbrun is a filmmaker and this is not their first go round telling a complete story, but still. Debuts are hard. This one makes it look easy.

I don't suggest you read a 600 page book lightly, but READ THIS BOOK if you like Horror. It is that good.

I am also not going to give away much about this book and I really love how the cover copy really doesn't either. It makes it clear that there are multiple time frames and some kind of world called Public Access Afterworld.

Then in the excellent "Foreward," Schoenbrum sets up the entire books, really tells you everything that is going to happen while somehow giving nothing away. They set up the story, how it will be told, and both get readers hooked and also sets the stage for the wild ride to come.

This book does a few things I demand in books I rate so highly-- every detail matters. Things come up, even small things like an HBO Game of Thrones (fake) spin off that is the favorite show of Bethany-- the hero's (which we are told in that forward that she will be our hero) boyfriend. Th boyfriend wants to stay home one night and watch it together. And then--- said TV show is important later!!!! This is but one large example, but it happens over and overagain.

And the final thing I demand-- a satisfying ending, one that wraps up lose ends, makes sense for the sotyr, but leaves enough open for interpretation.

All I will share is that the entire novel is frames as someone telling their version of a story that has been passed down as a "tv series," told and retold. The one our narrator was told was in 30 episodes, of which they were told 29. Their's is 10 episodes. But it involves the episodes of others. As I type this you make be like- Becky none of this makes sense, but I promise you it does. Trust Schoenbrun; they will get you invested and immersed and following their lead immediately.

And even as you get lost in the characters of our unnamed narrator's first season of her TV show, that narrator is brought back enough times, speaking to the reader directly, to remind us-- even in the final lines.

BRAVO!

This is a book for people who like the epic and grand storytelling of Joe Hill's King Sorrow, Haunted media in the vein of The October Film Haunt by Michael Wehunt or Night Film by Pessl, and especially those who love The Library at Mount Char and have never found a story as wild but satisfying and cohesive. and with great characters. READ THIS.

Other readalikes-- Hailey Piper's Queen of Teeth, Or just Hailey Piper in General, also Chuck Tingle. Although there are not obvious overlaps, I think Chlorine by Jade Song is a good readalike for the type of storytelling and anything by Cassandra Khaw.

[Dutchie]

I don’t even know how to explain this book, much less how much I liked it! I didn’t want it to end.

The only thing you need to know is there is something in the static of analog tv broadcasts. Could it be Public Access Afterworld that has been discussed on conspiracy message boards?

There were no minor characters in this novel. Each person had a role to play, and their connection didn’t seem contrived; it flowed seamlessly. Their personalities were all distinct, and they felt real. The idea of Public Access Afterworld was given a proper explanation and was an interesting concept. For the most part, I was completely sucked in, but there were a few instances that definitely got a little bit too weird, but this is a story about a mythological realm, soooooo I just went with it.

I felt a little let down by the ending. Only a little bit! It ended satisfactorily, but after spending such a long time with the characters on their journey, it felt a bit abrupt. That acknowledgments page snuck up on me, and I wanted a bit more. Maybe I’m just too greedy?!

I look forward to reading whatever this author puts out next!

4.5 Stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy and exchange for an honest review!

[Stacy (Gotham City Librarian)]

I have to admit that as of this review, I still have not seen the author’s directorial work in film, but I’ve heard very good things. Since I’m now such a big fan of this book, I definitely have to watch “I Saw the TV Glow” as soon as possible.

“Public Access Afterworld” is very addictive once you get into it. The individual stories do feel like episodes of a TV show, (“Just one more!!!”), and the whole thing works together as a cohesive story that reads sort of like an advanced Creepy Pasta. (Complimentary.) I do love just about anything involving haunted or cursed media/videotapes, liminal spaces, and the exploration of our close personal relationships with pop culture.

When I finished this novel, I felt like I had just marathoned an entire season of a TV series. Parts of it felt like a much darker “Pleasantville” and I was so on board with that. There’s a tiny bit of “The Matrix” in there, too. The book is a long journey, and not just because of its page count. I had been through the wringer with these characters, and I could still hear the static.

Parts of this made me so sad. (A lot of the stuff involving Erin was both uncomfortable and depressing. Her chapters specifically were really tough to read.) Bethany’s experiences also seemed to echo real-life struggles in many ways, and I thought about people close to me and things that they unfortunately have to deal with. Kudos to Schoenbrun, though, for seamlessly mixing harsh reality with the imaginative. There was so much going on throughout this narrative, (which other readers appeared to struggle with), that some messaging could have easily gotten lost amidst the chaos but it didn’t. I feel I should mention that the story goes to very dark places. It’s not all neon lights and popcorn.

This is not to say that the novel was perfect, even with the elusive 5-star rating. For example, villainous CEO Fisch’s character made little sense to me, because he contradicted himself so much and not in an intriguing way. I found him confusing and irritating more than anything else.
And what exactly was David Sawyer’s deal? I mean, I know what happened to him, but was I supposed to sympathize? Because I absolutely did not. In fact, til the bitter end I kind of hated his guts. (No spoilers, but the way his story concluded gave me the creeps for very specific reasons, and he had zero redeeming qualities, perhaps by design.) There’s also almost an entire chapter made up of one person talking/monologuing. If I were the other character having to sit there and listen to a story that long, I would be telling them to wrap it the fuck up, but maybe I’m just impatient.

Schoenbrun’s character work overall is admirable, however. If you’re going to commit to 600 pages you need interesting people to follow. Just a warning that you will grow to like some of these characters and their choices will likely frustrate you over and over. But it’s the deeper mystery of this world behind the screens that really draws you in and won’t let you go. I loved the whole concept of Public Access Afterworld and what it was and how television fit into the whole thing. (Don’t want to give too much away, so I’m being vague.) And I also adored all the Chimotera stuff and the concept of how that worked. Chimotera may have been my favorite part of the whole story, actually. I know everyone has different tastes, but I kind of can’t believe that some people hated that subplot.

So many reviewers wrote that things were not explained in this book, but I have to disagree. I felt that every question of mine except for one small one was eventually answered, and I was delighted by all the twists and turns the plot took and how characters and things that were mentioned earlier on would come back later in surprising ways. Schoenbrun really crafted something special and complex here. It’s quite an accomplishment. I would be so psyched if it got adapted for the screen, but it’s amazing as a book.

I even liked the ending. There was one specific thing that, while outlandish, I was really hoping to see as part of the resolution. I did not get my wish, but Schoenbrun has such a creative brain and I’m blown away with what she’s come up with.

Thank you to Netgalley for this early copy in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

* Note: There is a story involving a character who works as an internet content moderator, and if I were to list every single thing that is mentioned in the videos she sees, the trigger warnings would be a huge paragraph. So I limited it to the ones that get the most page time and focus throughout the novel.

Biggest TW: Suicide, Self-harm, Substance abuse, Transphobia/Misgendering/Deadnaming, Slurs, Discussion of SA, Anti-Semitism, Harm to children

[Kyle]

I need this yesterday.

[Chelsea (gofetchabook)]

I am absolutely obsessed with this book. No notes.

It’s long, but trust me, it works.

It’s speculative fiction exploring the horrifying concept of what really lies behind the static on the tv screen. It has an incredibly eerie nostalgic feel as it follows the different stories of people disappearing into Public Access Afterworld, and those left behind. Some are searching for answers while others are hiding the secret.

The stories of all the different characters are all connected and intertwined. Part of what makes the book not feel so long is that it slips between the POVs and stories across different timelines and they all feel necessary. I liked how the POV would change before you felt like you were reading too long, and then would come back to it.

Overall, I loved it and it will be one of my top 10 books of the year.

[Jenna]

Although this is primarily a novel for fans of Schoenbrun’s films (We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, I Saw the TV Glow, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma), this book will also appeal to fans of Imaginary Friend (Chbosky), The Locked Tomb (Muir), Night Film (Pessl), and Andrew Joseph White. You might think that because Schoenbrun is first and foremost a filmmaker, they might not have what it takes to write successful narrative prose. But, of course, you’d be wrong.

Somehow Schoenbrun manages to take the skeletons of their film trilogy, rip those bones from their original bodies of work, and repurpose them in a way that not only feels unique and fresh but also coexists with and elaborates on the initial stories. This book is a masterclass on world-building that manages to expand on the themes and lessons of Schoenbrun’s films, and that’s not something I can say I’ve ever seen done before. Not only does this book somehow strengthen the films, but the films seem to exist as an appetizer to this story. All four of these works are in conversation with each other, and yet this book is the culmination of everything. They are intrinsically connected. It’s unprecedented.

I think this book is almost a more successful exploration of the storylines and worlds that Schoenbrun originally built for the film trilogy. [redacted]’s haunting presence and [redacted]’s culty video challenges echo Casey’s descent into madness. [redacted] and [redacted] (with [redacted] specifically) felt reminiscent of Owen and Maddy’s beloved Pink Opaque. And while I have yet to see the final film at the time of writing this, I feel certain that [redacted] (and its numerous bad franchise sequels) draws inspiration from the beloved Camp Miasma franchise. And while many people may find this…gauche, to essentially reference your own projects and your own lore, and in some ways repurpose it all, I think it’s genius. Partially because horror often feeds off itself, it’s such a cannibalistic genre (ha, pun intended), but moreover because the contents of Schoenbrun’s works specifically are circular and intersecting and related. They write about trans identity and the impacts of technology on said identity and the ways mental illness and small town life can work together to cause lasting harm on the psyche. They reflect on fandom and media consumption and how those things can both unite people and tear people apart, and all the while, they manage to do it in a way that is not only smart but also, crucially, cool.

From the very first chapter, I knew this was going to be a special book and I knew it would be the kind of book that would alter the way I see myself and the world. While it’s a great puzzle book and a compelling plot with complex characters, mostly I enjoyed it because it forced me to question my reality. Typical of metalit, you give what you get and you could spend a long time dissecting this book before you fully understand it, but that’s what I found so incredible about it. It’s the type of story you can spend hours with and not get sick of it.

— my official netgalley, written before seeing Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

(will share my final, more personal and reflective commentary upon publication, although having now seen Miasma twice, i can safely say that this book is ESSENTIAL in understanding that film and i'm upset that i can't talk about it with more people at this moment)

[Emily]

Maybe think of this text as a seance.

Some people are obsessed with David Lynch. Fascinated with Fellini. Enraptured by Scorsese and Buñuel and Capra. My mind has been consumed by Jane Schoenbrun.

It all started one night in 2024, huddled up in my basement in the New Jersey suburbs. I rented a horror movie I'd heard about online—one with great reviews that I didn't know anything else about. I pulled a Jets Snuggie over my shoulders, turned off the lights, and hit play.

Throughout most of it, I had no idea what I was watching. There was a loose mystery, but none of it really made sense. I thought it was going one way, but it turned out that the film didn't operate under cardinal directions. When the credits rolled, I was skeptical. I thought I liked it? But I wasn't quite sure how much.

The next night (within the 48 hour rental window), I watched it again. And everything changed.

Jane Schoenbrun is a surrealist genius and one of the only filmmakers working today who has truly dug into the heart of the depressed suburban weird Gen Z kid psyche (shoutout Donnie Darko for pioneering the genre from the Gen X perspective). Especially of the hyper-online variety.

I Saw the TV Glow and We're All Going to the World's Fair are two of my favorite films of all time, and I mean that in all capacities. Theme, style, format, structure, dialogue, direction... Schoenbrun sings to me through the screen.

And the exact same can be said of their debut novel. I am incredibly lucky to have been able to get my hands on an advanced copy, and even luckier that I got to read it the week leading up to the premiere of their latest film, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (and got to attend their Q&A!!).

I won't give anything substantial away since I'm writing this ahead of the book's release, but if you're interested in the usual Schoenbrun motifs (hallucinated TV shows, online horror RPGs, ridiculous reboots, trans identity, etc.), you will eat up this story. If I had to encapsulate it in some easy to digest comps, I'd say: Blake Crouch meets the Davids (Lynch and Cronenberg). Dark Matter meets Mulholland Drive à la Videodrome.

So, while you're waiting for this novel to officially hit shelves, I'd highly recommend you dive into the author's filmography and see their latest on the big screen!

~ Release date: October 27, 2026 ~ All quotations are from an uncorrected proof and are subject to change.

[Dennis]

Jane Schoenbrun’s upcoming supernatural sci-fi thriller/horror/whatever-you-want-to-call-it, Public Access Afterworld, is getting so much buzz—and for good measure. Thank you @hogarthbooks for my gifted copy!

This book was not on my radar, but after seeing all the buzz building around it lately, I knew I needed to read it. And let me tell you: this is an epic saga of, well epic proportions.

I really think you should go into this one knowing as little as possible. As you dive in, you’re taken through different timelines, cultures, and people, all revolving around this mysterious idea of the “Public Access Afterworld.”

Schoenbrun dives into cosmic horror, technology, culture, socioeconomic themes, and trans identity, with fantastic LGBTQ+ representation throughout. There is a lot happening here, but despite its length (I usually prefer my books no longer than 400 pages or I get bored), I never felt like the story hit a lull.

My biggest advice is to go in knowing as little as possible, but know what you’re committing to. If you don’t have the time or headspace for an epic book right now, you might want to save this one for when you do.

If you love ambitious, genre-bending fiction with techno-horror, cosmic horror, queer themes, and plenty to unpack, Public Access Afterworld absolutely deserves a spot on your radar.

This was my first Jane Schoenbrun, and I’d absolutely pick up another book from them. I can’t wait to see what they have coming for readers next. 👀📺✨ STARS: 4, PUB: 10/27

[ClaudiaTalksFilm]

read this bcos senlinyu blurbed it and was not let down

absolutely GRIPPING and so vividly inventive - as a lover of tv this was so fun (and at times scary) to read. super high concept and can see the authors roots in film easily. such a fun play of form and how that guides storytelling. a book out of my usual genres I read in and REALLY hooked me, highly recommend

[Iris]

Has to be my favorite book of the year ⚡️📺

[ezra]

initial thoughts: so batshit crazy my mind is reeling but uhhhhh holy shit???????

after letting it marinate: Jane is so fucking cool. This book, much like I Saw the TV Glow, is made for a "rewatch," letting the layers of the story recontextualize all that came before it. There's so much to process! My brain feels like static fuzz! I can't wait to get my hands on my own physical copy so I can underline the shit out of it.

read on netgalley :)

[Allie Stewart]

I was so excited going into this and it fully exceeded my expectations. I feel like in the same way the characters become obsessed with public access afterworld I became obsessed with this story and figuring out what happens.

[Maggie (EvermoreBooklore)]

First off, the nostalgia in this book was AMAZING. As a ’90s kid who frequented Blockbuster (also Family Video) and is currently deep into VHS collecting again, I was immediately sold 📼

For fans of I Saw the TV Glow, Stranger Things, the book Mister Magic and Season 1 of Channel Zero, this is such a unique take on what might exist between the static, the waves and the internet.

In 2009, David and Erin are recording the transition from analog to digital on Erin’s basement TV when later that night, Erin witnesses something strange between the static.

In the present day, Bethany, a down on her luck trans woman works the night shift for a company that monitors videos and posts on a Reddit like platform. Struggling to make ends meet and increasingly disturbed by the content she’s monitoring she decides to take matters into her own hands after discovering a follower of the Public Access Afterworld cult who needs her help.

What follows spans multiple decades, realities and forms of media, all connected by the cult following of Public Access Afterworld.

I will say… I had NO idea this book was 600+ pages when I started it. I was INVESTED for the first 20% but things slowed down quite a bit around the 30–50% mark before picking back up again. That final 15% though? SO GOOD. I honestly wish we had gotten more of that part earlier and for longer.

Even with the pacing issues, I really enjoyed the premise and the overall storyline. It was weird, nostalgic, unsettling and unlike anything I’ve read.

And PLEASE just like I Saw the TV Glow, we need this to become a TV series or movie. I would LOVE to see this entire bizarre world come to life on screen!!

[Bert]

Not at all what I was expecting. Better!! Mysterious, twisty, nightmarish and exhaustive. Truly a book to live with while you’re reading it. It took me 2 weeks to read and every time I wasn’t reading it I was thinking about it.

THE book of 2026. See you in the static.

[Lara Brown]

Elaborate and engaging, really kept me on my toes right up to the last page!! Fundamentally I did not 100% buy into the premise of Public Access Afterworld and kept hoping I’d be fully convinced as the novel drew on (sorry to say it may just be the sci-fi hater in me), but even so, I was amazed by the complex entanglement of characters and worlds that Schoenbrun stitched together. I love a book that experiments with structure and perspective, so I especially appreciated some of the sections that felt even more out there than most (will try to remember to elaborate once this book is out in the world!). Schoenbrun explored queerness, transness, otherness, and becoming through the lens of TV and media with unsurprising but nonetheless impressive clarity and compassion.

[Bri Strand]

reclamation of identity. desperation for escapism. inexplicable attachments to television and film. fandom as a life affirming practice. an innate otherness. all the themes that make schoenbrun a trailblazer within their cinematic works remain here in their debut novel. think my admiration for this will only grow as time goes on.

me when i feel so grateful to be alive at the same time as they’re creating work😭😭😭

[Janine]

3.25 stars. An exploration of the terror of analog TV used to describe the queer experience.

This is simply a strange book - a very long one! It’s filled with misfits - nothing wrong with that as in our own way, each of us are - each telling a story and when merged have an interconnection due to their queerness. It starts with David Sawyer who falls in love with Erin Morrison. They become obsessed with a “mythological analog trend called Public Access Underworld.” When Erin goes missing, lost in the TV static, David is blamed and he turns into a cult leader searching for his love. We also meet Bethany Peters, a trans woman and heroine of the book. She works for a corrupt public access site where she meets Jules with whom she allies her self doing realizing she needs to crack Public Access Underworld and find and return those captured by it.

The book meanders through time and history exploring the power of TV. I guess there is a horror element to the book - all that static electricity one used to see when analog TV was around (I think the Twilight Zone used to use it in their opening) was a bit disconcerting (though digital has its own issues). The book is just too long and becomes redundant at times. Its complex story detailing a strange and weird environment became exhausting in so much how long it took to get to the denouement. Unfortunately a lot of it just didn’t resonate with me.

Readers wishing to explore the queer world should consider this book.

My thanks to NetGalley and Hogarth for allowing me access to this ARC.

[Alanna M]

This book disappointingly missed the mark for me! Definitely a lot in it that I liked but it’s also 600 pages… so I also found plenty I did not like. It felt way too long with so much happening. I liked a lot of the character stories but it just felt like too much all together!
Also being from/living in Austin, I did enjoy the bits and pieces about the rise of big tech and gentrification and change in the city.

I was so excited about this but I’m more excited to be finished reading it. Gonna go watch we’re all going to the world’s fair to soothe my soul.

[Kirsten Hamilton]

I’m actually speechless. What a bonkers, captivating, surreal book. I don’t think I’m going to be able to live out my existence the same again.

[talia ♡]

just landed on a bunch of "to be robbed" lists since i just got an arc!

[Olive Fellows (abookolive)]

This chonky novel has got to be one of the weirdest-sounding books I've heard about in a great while. Teenagers in 2009 discover a world hidden underneath TV static. One of them disappears, and the world reintroduces itself decades later to a content moderator watching old tapes for work.

I've got to read this with my husband. He loves trippy stuff like this.

Click here to hear more about this book and my other anticipated releases of the upcoming quarter over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!

[alex]

Where do I even start?

I will admit that while I was really anticipating this book because I loved both of Jane’s films, I was nervous how their skills would translate from the screen into a novel, and if I would enjoy it as much as their films. Luckily even my highest expectations were surpassed.

Reading this was like being drawn into a really engrossing tv show, staying up all night to binge the entire season because at the end of every episode (chapter) it kept you on the edge of your seat and needing to find out what happens next.

The characters in here were great, I loved how their voices came through and that the protagonists weren’t perfect and didn’t always make the best decisions but I couldn’t help wanting them to still end up alright. Even the antagonists had motivations that were understandable, and they still felt human rather than just evil for the sake of it.

The plot was insane in the best way and always kept driving forward. Although at times the whole lore and concepts behind everything could’ve gotten confusing, we got enough information to still keep the story moving forward and making sense. When the reveals would finally happen, everything clicked and I also felt like I could make sense of the themes and threads that were shared between the author’s films and their novel.

The only minor thing I wish was different here is that the ending felt more fully resolved, but maybe that’s intentional. I really hope they write more novels because they definitely are skilled as an author as well as a filmmaker.

[Annie Sullivan]

{Thank you to NetGalley and Hogarth for this ARC}

This book was so much more than I anticipated, and I’m so happy i read it! I watched I Saw the TV Glow recently before starting this book, and experiencing Schoenbrun’s love of television in two different mediums was really informative and special. I’m not often moved to feel this way, but I’m very glad to be alive at the same time as this author. Multiple perspectives, timelines, and interwoven narratives made this an extremely unique and encompassing read. I literally dreamed about this book, and that never happens. I’d happily revisit this book, and will be recommending it to anyone who’ll listen.

[Cait Maltbie]

Big thank you to both NetGalley and Hogarth Books for an ARC of this book!

This book felt like it took pieces of Schoenbrun’s first two films and reworked them to create a more refined and complex story about screens, identity, and queerness. It kept me engaged with the plot twists and turns that happen as the different time periods and characters ultimately coalesce into one larger, more horrifying picture.

[litch! (cryptidcasanova)]

Review courtesy of an ARC provided by NetGalley

Anyone else, like, REALLY wish they could watch the Chimotera franchise?

My very first brush with Jane Schoenbrun’s particularly nauseating, trancelike brand of storytelling left me slack-jawed and silent sobbing in a movie theater in the summer of 2024. I Saw the TV Glow more times than I can feasibly recall, and then I brought everyone I know back to the scene of the crime to make them watch it with me.

I remember first seeing the trailer, set to a cover of a song that I had once upon a time beaten to death in my angst-ridden teenage bedroom. I played it at parties I had no business attending. I shared it with people I thought I’d be in love with for lifetimes to come and beyond. 10+ years later, I’d all but forgotten it existed until this director I had never heard of used it to rip open a fizzing, primordial fissure in the hollow of my chest.

In many ways, it feels like Schoenbrun reached directly into my cosmic mind sludge and plucked that song out herself JUST to freak me out. I realize now that this is simply the kind of narrative power they wield, and there is nothing else remotely like it on the planet.

Public Access Afterworld is a breathtaking novel debut. It does a fantastic job of setting up the nostalgic, neon-haloed atmosphere fans familiar with Schoenbrun’s work will expect. The menacing fever-dream silhouette of Captain Video, the ethereal video store that appears only to the ‘crooked’ few destined to cross its threshold, really managed to unnerve and allure me in equal measure.

Beware: she’s a hefty tome at around 600 pages, and there are unfortunately some slow segments around the halfway point that drag on a bit longer than necessary. It was interesting (and ironic) to learn from other reviews that this was originally intended to be a TV series - I can see how these chapters may have served a larger narrative purpose in that format.

tl;dr: This one is weird. It’s unkind to the reader at times, and it’s quite a bit to chew on metaphorically, with an ending some will find unsatisfying. Personally, I think it works overall. I cannot wait to see what else Jane gives us in the future. See you at Camp Miasma! ;)

(Special thanks to NetGalley and Hogarth for my review copy - it truly means the world.)

[Lucas]

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I didn’t think this was a bad book. I found the overarching plot interesting, enjoyable, and unique. Unfortunately, I was deeply uncomfortable with the way Bethany’s character was handled, which I felt repeatedly crossed the line into transphobic characterization. I am aware that the author identifies as nonbinary, but that ultimately makes this more concerning to me, rather than less.

As a queer person, I also ran the passages that troubled me past several trans and queer friends, all of whom reached the same conclusion I did. I wanted to ensure that I wasn’t exaggerating my concerns, particularly because I haven’t seen this issue mentioned in other reviews. If I had known, it absolutely would have deterred me from requesting this book. I’m including the relevant quotes below before explaining how I reached my conclusion:

"Whatever was going on was far more severe and sinister than your run-of-the-mill trans girl depression spiral."

"Thankfully, though, Lily still had a penchant for debauchery. Deep down, most trans girls did."

"Bethany was banged up pretty bad from the car accident. Between her injuries, her transness, and her lack of shoes, she knew she looked utterly deranged to everyone she passed."

"Bethany returned to Austin with her tail between her legs. Which, I know, is a dangerous imagery to describe a trans girl."

"But then there had been Bethany Peters, whose initial readings indicated a perfect crooked subject, a near patsy whose pre-entry diagnostics were so flush with electricity he should have only needed the slightest nudge to make it all the way to the video store. She. Sorry. She. Fisch thought back to his DEI training and reminded himself to use the right pronouns."

"The stakes were far too high, the hole he'd dug himself far too deep. He'd been working on this special project for years, and he knew its future—his son's future along with it—rested on the shoulders of one pesky transgender person."

Given the quotes above, I feel that despite the author's own queer identity, the book came off incredibly transphobic. It really beats you over the head with the fact that Bethany is trans, but in ways that felt entirely unnecessary and extremely uncomfortable. The “t” slur is also used elsewhere in the book.

I was also deeply bothered by the book’s near-constant use of the phrase “trans girl” to describe Bethany. Bethany is a grown woman. The repeated use of "trans girl" here contributes to a broader pattern of infantilization that I see often in our society. Trans adults are frequently referred to as “trans girls” or “trans boys” in contexts where cisgender adults would simply be called women or men. In this novel, that language further diminishes Bethany’s adulthood and agency.

My biggest issue is that Bethany’s transness rarely feels relevant to the plot, yet it becomes virtually her only tangible defining characteristic. She is given very little depth beyond her gender identity, as though being trans constitutes her entire personality. Her character is essentially flanderized until her transness becomes her one defining trait. This mirrors the reductive way trans people are often viewed in real life: not as complete human beings, but as embodiments of a single identity.

It was particularly disheartening to encounter this portrayal in a book written by someone who identifies as queer. Trans people are, of course, people beyond their gender. We have aspirations, hobbies, friendships, careers, flaws, and countless intersecting identities. Bethany deserved that same complexity. Instead, the novel repeatedly highlights her trans identity while doing little to establish who she is beyond it. Even if that effect was unintentional, it risks reinforcing the idea that a trans person’s gender is inherently the most notable or defining thing about them.

I have read many incredible books in which characters are queer and their identities are simply another part of who they are—not their entire characterization. Books such as The Works of Vermin, Scorpion Deep, Priory of the Orange Tree, and A Little Life incorporate gender or sexuality without turning those identities into a spectacle, relying on derogatory language, or reducing a character to a single trait.

As a thought experiment, imagine reading a book that paused every few pages to make sure you remembered that its main character was cisgender. Wouldn’t that eventually become irritating, distracting, or even uncomfortable? That is how the constant reminders about Bethany felt to me.

As I said, I don’t think this is a bad book at its core. The plot was interesting, enjoyable, and distinctive. However, the constant and frequently uncomfortable emphasis on Bethany’s trans identity repeatedly pulled me out of the story and ultimately left a sour taste in my mouth.

TWs include graphic transphobia, self harm, and suicide.

2 ★s.