Public Access Afterworld: A Novel

What if something extraordinary—and terrifying—was hiding on the other side of your television screen? In Public Access Afterworld, filmmaker and writer Jane Schoenbrun introduces readers to a mysterious world where forgotten broadcasts, digital culture, and disturbing realities intersect. The story begins in 2009, when two television-obsessed teenagers, David Sawyer and Erin Morrison, gather to watch the transition from analog to digital television. Amid the resulting static, Erin discovers strange transmissions from an obscure pirate television network known as Public Access Afterworld. What initially appears to be an impossible discovery soon changes the direction of their lives. Years later, Bethany Peters works overnight as a content moderator for a major technology company in Austin, spending her shifts reviewing disturbing online videos. When a mysterious young streamer repeatedly appears in her feed and references Public Access Afterworld, Bethany becomes drawn into a mystery connecting the present to events from the past. Moving across different decades and realities, the novel explores the relationship between technology and human experience. Its narrative combines supernatural horror, speculative storytelling, conspiracy, digital media, identity, friendship, and the search for belonging. Readers can expect an imaginative blend of unsettling atmosphere, unexpected connections, memorable characters, and questions about what might exist beyond the familiar boundaries of everyday life. The book also examines the emotional consequences of isolation and the ways people search for meaning through screens and shared experiences. Ideal for readers who enjoy experimental fiction, psychological and supernatural horror, alternate realities, internet culture, and thought-provoking speculative novels, Public Access Afterworld offers a distinctive literary experience from an original contemporary storyteller.