Public Access Afterworld – Review

Jane Schoenbrun’s debut novel, Public Access Afterworld, will have you questioning reality long before the final chapter.

*warning: minor spoilers below for the plot of Public Access Afterworld

Public Access Afterworld, despite being Jane Schoenbrun’s first novel, is actually an epic conclusion in its own way. This novel serves as the finale for a loose trilogy of films that comprise We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, I Saw the TV Glow, and Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. What all those films have in common is exploring the idea that there’s another reality on the other side of the screen. Whether this alternate reality is the “true” reality is left for the audience to decide.

Public Access Afterworld, subsequently, combines the ideas of all three films together in a truly mind-bending epic tale. In fact, I would actually suggest checking out both I Saw the TV Glow and Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma before reading this book, to have a better idea of the ideas Schoenbrun has been working with.

The story of Public Access Afterworld is like a Russian nesting doll. The overarching story is framed as a series of “TV episodes” being relayed to the narrator while spending time in a mental institution. Within each “episode” are what appear to be unrelated plot threads that begin to intersect closer and closer until you realize it’s all been one story from the beginning. The plot follows several characters, but primarily focuses on Bethany Peters, a trans woman struggling to build a life on her terms. Bethany finds herself captivated by a mysterious Internet phenomenon known as ‘Public Access Afterworld’; an alleged alternate dimension that is the source of all television in the world. Rumor states that a select few can travel through the TV screen to reach Public Access Afterworld and live in the world of a TV show. That story, we discover, is only the tip of the iceberg.

There are so many layers to this story, it’s almost mind-boggling in its intricacy. In fact the story is so complex, that it’s easy to forget the framing narrative even exists, which is wild when you remember that according to the story’s opening, none of this is real. But then again, the story of Bethany’s journey to Public Access Afterworld is so detailed and captivating, it’s not long before one begins to wonder just what reality is. That’s something Jane Schoenbrun has excelled at in all of their previous works: making the audience question the nature of reality and whether “the real world” is some place else entirely.

Readers will certainly be questioning what’s real and what isn’t long before reaching the final chapter of Public Access Afterworld. While there is a recognizable narrative that pulls the audience through from beginning to end, there’s always the sense that something else is waiting in the shadows. I don’t have a good word for what this something else is, but it permeates the story. Perhaps it might be best to say Jane Schoenbrun filled this story with a sense of “the Other.” Anyone who has ever gone through life feeling like they never quite belonged anywhere will likely recognize what I’m talking about. This story seems tailor-made for people who run on a different wavelength and have always wondered why. This isn’t the kind of story to give real answers to that question, but it does encourage one to broaden their horizons, to consider the idea that maybe there’s more to reality, to life than the endless grind.

Then there are the parts of this story that are equal parts terrifying and depressing. I can’t emphasize enough how heavy and dark Public Access Afterworld can get. There’s open talk of attempted suicide, self-harm, and severe disassociation, just to name some of the darker examples. For all its intricacies, this is not a story to be approached lightly. At the same time, I thoroughly appreciate that Schoenbrun doesn’t pull any punches with how brutal the world can be, especially to those who don’t fit in to society’s idea of “normal.” It’s important to have stories that tell it like it is. And much as we want to pretend otherwise, the world can be a cruel place.

For all its intricacies and finely woven plot, I must say that Public Access Afterworld doesn’t quite stick the landing. This might be on purpose if Schoenbrun’s idea was to have the audience decide for themselves what the final pages were actually saying. Given how epic the scope of the story was, I was hoping for something a little more definitive. The ending, fittingly enough, reminded me very much of the ending of I Saw the TV Glow, in that things seem to end almost in mid-thought. If I didn’t know better, I’d almost wonder if the author was setting up for a sequel. While I appreciate stories that leave one thinking about what it all means, the ending definitely left me wanting more, and not in the good way.

That being said, Public Access Afterworld is definitely worth picking up and reading. The layered story quickly draws you in and it’s very hard to put this book down.