Filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun releases debut novel Public Access Afterworld

Filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun has released their debut novel, Public Access Afterworld. The 592-page work marks a transition from independent cinema to long-form prose, exploring themes of friendship, analog television, and the early internet.

Structured into episodes rather than traditional chapters, the book mimics a television broadcast interrupted by commercial breaks. The narrative has received praise from authors such as Lev Grossman, Paul Tremblay, and Torrey Peters for its structural ambition and worldbuilding.

Schoenbrun, known for films such as I Saw the TV Glow and Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, has frequently explored the psychological effects of digital spaces and media in their cinematic work. This novel allows for more intricate development than the constraints of feature film runtimes.