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Culpability
Set at a summer rental on the Chesapeake Bay, a riveting family drama about moral responsibility in the age of artificial intelligence, from the bestselling author of the “wise and addictive” (New York Times) The Gifted School.
When the Cassidy-Shaws’ autonomous minivan collides with an oncoming car, seventeen-year-old Charlie is in the driver’s seat, with his father, Noah, riding shotgun. In the back seat, tweens Alice and Izzy are on their phones, while their mother, Lorelei, a world leader in the field of artificial intelligence, is absorbed in her work. Yet each family member harbors a secret that implicates them in the accident.
During a weeklong recuperation on the Chesapeake Bay, the family confronts the excruciating moral dilemmas triggered by the crash. Noah tries to hold the family together as a seemingly routine police investigation jeopardizes Charlie’s future. Alice and Izzy turn strangely furtive. And Lorelei’s odd behavior tugs at Noah’s suspicions that there is a darker truth behind the incident—suspicions heightened by the sudden intrusion of Daniel Monet, a tech mogul whose mysterious history with Lorelei hints at betrayal. When Charlie falls for Monet’s teenaged daughter, the stakes are raised even higher in this propulsive family drama that is also a fascinating exploration of the moral responsibility and ethical consequences of AI.
Culpability explores a world newly shaped by chatbots, autonomous cars, drones, and other nonhuman forces in ways that are thrilling, challenging, and unimaginably provocative.
When the Cassidy-Shaws’ autonomous minivan collides with an oncoming car, seventeen-year-old Charlie is in the driver’s seat, with his father, Noah, riding shotgun. In the back seat, tweens Alice and Izzy are on their phones, while their mother, Lorelei, a world leader in the field of artificial intelligence, is absorbed in her work. Yet each family member harbors a secret that implicates them in the accident.
During a weeklong recuperation on the Chesapeake Bay, the family confronts the excruciating moral dilemmas triggered by the crash. Noah tries to hold the family together as a seemingly routine police investigation jeopardizes Charlie’s future. Alice and Izzy turn strangely furtive. And Lorelei’s odd behavior tugs at Noah’s suspicions that there is a darker truth behind the incident—suspicions heightened by the sudden intrusion of Daniel Monet, a tech mogul whose mysterious history with Lorelei hints at betrayal. When Charlie falls for Monet’s teenaged daughter, the stakes are raised even higher in this propulsive family drama that is also a fascinating exploration of the moral responsibility and ethical consequences of AI.
Culpability explores a world newly shaped by chatbots, autonomous cars, drones, and other nonhuman forces in ways that are thrilling, challenging, and unimaginably provocative.
350 pages, Hardcover
First published July 8, 2025
About the author
Bruce Holsinger
17 books1,514 followersBruce Holsinger is the author of five novels, including Culpability (forthcoming from Spiegel & Grau), The Displacements and The Gifted School (both from Riverhead), and many works of nonfiction, most recently On Parchment: Animals, Archives, and the Making of Culture from Herodotus to the Digital Age (Yale University Press). His books have been recognized with the Colorado Book Award, the John Hurt Fisher Prize, the Philip Brett Award, the John Nicholas Brown Prize, the Modern Language Association's Prize for a First Book, and others. His essays and reviews have appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and many other publications and he has been profiled on NPR's Weekend Edition, Here & Now, and Marketplace. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship.
He teaches in the Department of English at the University of Virginia, where he specializes in medieval literature and modern critical thought and serves as editor of the quarterly journal New Literary History. He also teaches craft classes and serves as board chairman for WriterHouse, a local nonprofit in Charlottesville.
He teaches in the Department of English at the University of Virginia, where he specializes in medieval literature and modern critical thought and serves as editor of the quarterly journal New Literary History. He also teaches craft classes and serves as board chairman for WriterHouse, a local nonprofit in Charlottesville.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 10,989 reviews
July 9, 2025
This is one of those books that seems unsure what it wants to be, so it straddles the line between family drama and a meditation on AI ethics and never really satisfies with either.
I was really excited when I read the blurb because it sounded like a timely premise: a family get into a car accident in their self-driving minivan, killing two people and starting a conversation about culpability when it comes to AI. The five Cassidy-Shaws were all absorbed in their own world, their own devices, letting the minivan do its own thing. Are they to blame? Can they be held responsible for the accident?
Except the waters are quickly muddied by several secrets the family members are hiding, changing the conversation from one about AI ethics to one about the characters and their personal issues.
Still, though disappointing, I love a family drama as much as anyone. The problem was I didn't find much to sink my teeth into there either. The characters are a bit basic, and even cliche in Alice's case-- she seems to be a typical ansgty teenager obsessed with an AI chatbot (the interactions were a bit of an eye roll, honestly).
Noah is the narrator and I couldn't stand him. He has an inferiority complex toward his wife and is frequently insecure, but his insecurities are just touched upon and not explored in a way that would add depth to his character. The way he views his teenage son and comments on his girlfriend is just weird, too, and I am unsympathetic to his drunk driving with his daughters in the car. Maybe I could have given the guy a break if we'd gotten to know him better, if his character development had been more complex.
The themes are messy and inconsistent as the book tries to juggle too many things at once: Lorelai's OCD, criticism of sheltered and entitled teens, the use of AI drones in war zones, Alice's chatbot, Charlie's new girlfriend and mental health, and somewhere in there the whole discussion about guilt and responsibility after the road accident.
Nothing much in terms of AI ethics or compelling family drama. An extra star because the use of mixed media made it more readable and easy to get through.
I was really excited when I read the blurb because it sounded like a timely premise: a family get into a car accident in their self-driving minivan, killing two people and starting a conversation about culpability when it comes to AI. The five Cassidy-Shaws were all absorbed in their own world, their own devices, letting the minivan do its own thing. Are they to blame? Can they be held responsible for the accident?
Except the waters are quickly muddied by several secrets the family members are hiding, changing the conversation from one about AI ethics to one about the characters and their personal issues.
Still, though disappointing, I love a family drama as much as anyone. The problem was I didn't find much to sink my teeth into there either. The characters are a bit basic, and even cliche in Alice's case-- she seems to be a typical ansgty teenager obsessed with an AI chatbot (the interactions were a bit of an eye roll, honestly).
Noah is the narrator and I couldn't stand him. He has an inferiority complex toward his wife and is frequently insecure, but his insecurities are just touched upon and not explored in a way that would add depth to his character. The way he views his teenage son and comments on his girlfriend is just weird, too, and I am unsympathetic to his drunk driving with his daughters in the car. Maybe I could have given the guy a break if we'd gotten to know him better, if his character development had been more complex.
The themes are messy and inconsistent as the book tries to juggle too many things at once: Lorelai's OCD, criticism of sheltered and entitled teens, the use of AI drones in war zones, Alice's chatbot, Charlie's new girlfriend and mental health, and somewhere in there the whole discussion about guilt and responsibility after the road accident.
Nothing much in terms of AI ethics or compelling family drama. An extra star because the use of mixed media made it more readable and easy to get through.
July 22, 2025
A tragedy delivers a blow to a family of 5. The consequences will create irreparable damage. The complexity of technology - AI- playing a monumental role.
The Cassidy-Shaw family take a vacation immediately following the accident, still trying to piece it together. This technology they have become so reliant on - could it have failed? If it failed, was it human error?
Moral complexity under scrutiny.
This technology created by humans. But the algorithms are far from perfect.
We see the flaws in the algorithms of a family: The dynamics of siblings and spouses. The secrets kept that threaten its fragility.
We see how AI can have benefits but also how it can wield destruction when in the wrong hands.
Which begs the question of Culpability - when things go sideways, who is responsible? Humans or machines?
While I didn’t love it and didn’t connect to any of these characters, there are uncomfortable truths.
3.75⭐️
The Cassidy-Shaw family take a vacation immediately following the accident, still trying to piece it together. This technology they have become so reliant on - could it have failed? If it failed, was it human error?
Moral complexity under scrutiny.
This technology created by humans. But the algorithms are far from perfect.
We see the flaws in the algorithms of a family: The dynamics of siblings and spouses. The secrets kept that threaten its fragility.
We see how AI can have benefits but also how it can wield destruction when in the wrong hands.
Which begs the question of Culpability - when things go sideways, who is responsible? Humans or machines?
While I didn’t love it and didn’t connect to any of these characters, there are uncomfortable truths.
3.75⭐️
July 22, 2025
Artificial intelligence is accelerating faster than a Tesla toward an oak tree. Every day brings a fresh story — possibly written by AI — about the wonders of a world remastered by autonomous billionaires and their silicon golems. Perplexity, indeed.
Bruce Holsinger’s novel “Culpability,” about a deadly crash involving a self-driving vehicle, was originally slated for October, but Oprah just named it her July book club pick, so you can already find it parked in your local bookstore. Whatever the reason, that was a fortuitous rescheduling. When it comes to writing about artificial intelligence, three months is the distance between rubbing sticks together and splitting an atom.
But for all its eerie timeliness, “Culpability” should age better than yesterday’s Instagram post. Holsinger, a medievalist at the University of Virginia, has a sharp eye for the eternal values and foibles that animate human affairs. He’s written mysteries set in the 14th century and domestic dramas set in the 21st. The plot of his latest book may feel copy-pasted from the risk factors outlined in some hot IPO, but it’s a searching examination of family dynamics and the
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
Bruce Holsinger’s novel “Culpability,” about a deadly crash involving a self-driving vehicle, was originally slated for October, but Oprah just named it her July book club pick, so you can already find it parked in your local bookstore. Whatever the reason, that was a fortuitous rescheduling. When it comes to writing about artificial intelligence, three months is the distance between rubbing sticks together and splitting an atom.
But for all its eerie timeliness, “Culpability” should age better than yesterday’s Instagram post. Holsinger, a medievalist at the University of Virginia, has a sharp eye for the eternal values and foibles that animate human affairs. He’s written mysteries set in the 14th century and domestic dramas set in the 21st. The plot of his latest book may feel copy-pasted from the risk factors outlined in some hot IPO, but it’s a searching examination of family dynamics and the
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
February 20, 2026
I DESPISED this MMC. Epitome of fragile, egotistical, insecure little man with a huge superiority complex. From the way he addresses his wife in some scenes or what we hear from his internal dialogue (especially to the way he talks about how inferior he feels to her and her siblings) to his constant state of victimhood— CUT ME A BREAK. The entire story felt like he had something to sob about every other scene that had to do with his short comings.
And not to kick it while it’s down, but if I knew this whole book was going to be in the POV of a man who shields his equally fragile son from the consequences of his own actions I probably wouldn’t have picked it up. Bonus points for the shit ending.
One star for the Delaware shout outs throughout the book
And not to kick it while it’s down, but if I knew this whole book was going to be in the POV of a man who shields his equally fragile son from the consequences of his own actions I probably wouldn’t have picked it up. Bonus points for the shit ending.
One star for the Delaware shout outs throughout the book
January 7, 2026
4.5
Every night at midnight I play a bunch of New York Times games. Lately there has been a glitch and I can’t open Hints. (Yep, I use hints sometimes and no, I do not consider it cheating, lol!) So last night I sent an email to tech support, hoping that I’d hear back the next day with some techy version of smiley faces, showing that they had reopened the Hints door, which they had so rudely locked.
Yay, amazing! I get an instant response! It’s the middle of the night, and someone is sitting there waiting for important technical problems to pop into their hands so they can get right on it? Wow, that’s service. Except, of course, there are no hands to pop into. There are no hands that type. There are no hands!!! It’s a goddamn Virtual Assistant, up all hours, needing no sleep, there to help me solve my problem. A good Girl Scout, I answer her questions immediately. Here I am in the wee hours, conversing with a robot! But as usual, the damn bot doesn’t solve the problem, she points her (non)finger at me, throwing out boring, business-like questions and giving me effin’ homework! Wait, you guys took away my precious hints, you’re the ones who should give them back! And we know those troubleshooting suggestions never work anyway. So if this is all you have to say, you can hit the hay, Ms. Bot. I don’t care if you never need sleep, go find someone else who you can pretend to help. (Look at how mad I’m getting at a bot!! Something is not right here, lol!)
Right after I had this boring and ratatatat strange penpal volley with a bot, I was finishing up this cool novel where AI is front and center in a family’s life. The well-off, happy family of five is suddenly fragile, and fraud with intense dynamics, as it recovers from a tragedy involving AI. Whose fault is it anyway? Morality is standing on its head. It really made me ponder the idea of blame, of culpability, and made me realize, holy shit, AI really does have the potential to mess up our lives. With it comes ethical questions. It made me think.
I liked this book a whole lot. The characters are well-drawn, the family dynamics are Interesting and gnarly, and I cared about the family. The mom is a genius who develops AI and has had some mental problems in the past. The dad is the main star and he’s angsty but pretty solid. There are three kids and they are realistic and sympathetic. The boy, an athlete with a bright future, is also a main character, and I felt all torn about him. One girl has a secret texting relationship with a bot, which made me frown and pulled me in at the same time. The plot grabbed me from page 1 and it moved quickly. There are several surprises, which were like chocolate to me. And there is a super suspenseful situation that goes on a while and paralyzed me with fear. No way could I get up and load the dishwasher; I had to keep frantically reading.
So here’s the thing. Throughout the book there are little treatises about AI. Most are accessible and sort of interesting, but there are a few diatribes that are too complicated and academic and didn’t work. I resented the story being interrupted with these mini-lectures. It wrecked the flow. Luckily there aren’t a whole lot of them, but they are the only reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars. AI is integrated into the plot beautifully; there is no need to have pull-out globs of text about it.
However, here is one that opens the story, and I loved it:
“And this, I propose, is the inhuman soul of the algorithm. It may think for us, it may work for us, it may organize our lives for us. But the algorithm will never bleed for us. The algorithm will never suffer for us. The algorithm will never mourn for us.
In this refusal lies the essence of its moral being.”
Intense, yes? Holy cow!
I definitely need to check out earlier works by this writer. Love his style and his sensibilities.
Recommended.
Every night at midnight I play a bunch of New York Times games. Lately there has been a glitch and I can’t open Hints. (Yep, I use hints sometimes and no, I do not consider it cheating, lol!) So last night I sent an email to tech support, hoping that I’d hear back the next day with some techy version of smiley faces, showing that they had reopened the Hints door, which they had so rudely locked.
Yay, amazing! I get an instant response! It’s the middle of the night, and someone is sitting there waiting for important technical problems to pop into their hands so they can get right on it? Wow, that’s service. Except, of course, there are no hands to pop into. There are no hands that type. There are no hands!!! It’s a goddamn Virtual Assistant, up all hours, needing no sleep, there to help me solve my problem. A good Girl Scout, I answer her questions immediately. Here I am in the wee hours, conversing with a robot! But as usual, the damn bot doesn’t solve the problem, she points her (non)finger at me, throwing out boring, business-like questions and giving me effin’ homework! Wait, you guys took away my precious hints, you’re the ones who should give them back! And we know those troubleshooting suggestions never work anyway. So if this is all you have to say, you can hit the hay, Ms. Bot. I don’t care if you never need sleep, go find someone else who you can pretend to help. (Look at how mad I’m getting at a bot!! Something is not right here, lol!)
Right after I had this boring and ratatatat strange penpal volley with a bot, I was finishing up this cool novel where AI is front and center in a family’s life. The well-off, happy family of five is suddenly fragile, and fraud with intense dynamics, as it recovers from a tragedy involving AI. Whose fault is it anyway? Morality is standing on its head. It really made me ponder the idea of blame, of culpability, and made me realize, holy shit, AI really does have the potential to mess up our lives. With it comes ethical questions. It made me think.
I liked this book a whole lot. The characters are well-drawn, the family dynamics are Interesting and gnarly, and I cared about the family. The mom is a genius who develops AI and has had some mental problems in the past. The dad is the main star and he’s angsty but pretty solid. There are three kids and they are realistic and sympathetic. The boy, an athlete with a bright future, is also a main character, and I felt all torn about him. One girl has a secret texting relationship with a bot, which made me frown and pulled me in at the same time. The plot grabbed me from page 1 and it moved quickly. There are several surprises, which were like chocolate to me. And there is a super suspenseful situation that goes on a while and paralyzed me with fear. No way could I get up and load the dishwasher; I had to keep frantically reading.
So here’s the thing. Throughout the book there are little treatises about AI. Most are accessible and sort of interesting, but there are a few diatribes that are too complicated and academic and didn’t work. I resented the story being interrupted with these mini-lectures. It wrecked the flow. Luckily there aren’t a whole lot of them, but they are the only reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars. AI is integrated into the plot beautifully; there is no need to have pull-out globs of text about it.
However, here is one that opens the story, and I loved it:
“And this, I propose, is the inhuman soul of the algorithm. It may think for us, it may work for us, it may organize our lives for us. But the algorithm will never bleed for us. The algorithm will never suffer for us. The algorithm will never mourn for us.
In this refusal lies the essence of its moral being.”
Intense, yes? Holy cow!
I definitely need to check out earlier works by this writer. Love his style and his sensibilities.
Recommended.
July 7, 2025
2.5 ☆
culpability is one of those books that should have been a home run for me. i am a well-established hater of AI, and the concept of a novel that explores the ethics of AI and its integration with human philosophies and blame is so compelling. probing the relevant 21st century questions about tech ethics in the context of a family drama rather than speculative fantasy/sci-fi could, in theory, make these concepts feel much more pressing and tangible.
the first third/half-ish of the novel was really working for me. aside from noah spending a weird amount of time convincing the reader of how hot his son was (did this really need to be written in first person??), i found the questions that it posed about AI to be interesting, the story tightly paced and effectively sinister when it needed to be. but the middle dragged a bit, and the elements of the story that initially felt dark and mysterious started to fizzle and drag without ever really becoming interesting, the twists predictable, the characters stagnant.
and with every chapter, yet another social problem is probed at without really fleshing out any of the ones before it. we jump from the military industrial complex to bias in the american judicial system to the contemporary trolley problems baked into decision-making algorithms. it all just feels so flat in the end, and the ending leaves me questioning a bit what holsinger’s opinions on AI really are, let alone what he’s trying to express through each character.
the mixed-media format added a nice texture to the novel, and this book does feel prescient in really undeniable ways. but i also resist the idea that runaway AI is a foregone conclusion, or that these kinds of pseudo-human decision making technologies are something that is mostly good with a dash of ethical dilemma thrown in. holsinger might just be a bit more centrist about the issue than i wanted and was expecting 🤷♀️
thank you to netgalley and spiegel & grau for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
culpability is one of those books that should have been a home run for me. i am a well-established hater of AI, and the concept of a novel that explores the ethics of AI and its integration with human philosophies and blame is so compelling. probing the relevant 21st century questions about tech ethics in the context of a family drama rather than speculative fantasy/sci-fi could, in theory, make these concepts feel much more pressing and tangible.
the first third/half-ish of the novel was really working for me. aside from noah spending a weird amount of time convincing the reader of how hot his son was (did this really need to be written in first person??), i found the questions that it posed about AI to be interesting, the story tightly paced and effectively sinister when it needed to be. but the middle dragged a bit, and the elements of the story that initially felt dark and mysterious started to fizzle and drag without ever really becoming interesting, the twists predictable, the characters stagnant.
and with every chapter, yet another social problem is probed at without really fleshing out any of the ones before it. we jump from the military industrial complex to bias in the american judicial system to the contemporary trolley problems baked into decision-making algorithms. it all just feels so flat in the end, and the ending leaves me questioning a bit what holsinger’s opinions on AI really are, let alone what he’s trying to express through each character.
the mixed-media format added a nice texture to the novel, and this book does feel prescient in really undeniable ways. but i also resist the idea that runaway AI is a foregone conclusion, or that these kinds of pseudo-human decision making technologies are something that is mostly good with a dash of ethical dilemma thrown in. holsinger might just be a bit more centrist about the issue than i wanted and was expecting 🤷♀️
thank you to netgalley and spiegel & grau for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
October 20, 2025
Superficial is the first word that comes to mind when I sit down to formulate a review of Bruce Holsinger's novel Culpability. The timely subject of AI with all of its nuances is touched on here. The family drama aims to explore family relationships, especially in the aftermath of trauma. At the end, I close this book unsatisfied and wanting more.
This poor book suffers as it follows my reading of master works by William Trevor and Robert Seethaler. In comparison, the prose is pedestrian and everything else lacks depth. If you are interested in AI, an engaging read that will give you more than these drips and drabs is Ethan Mollick's Co-Intelligence: The Definitive, Best Selling Guide to Living and Working with AI. If you're looking for a good family drama, try The Moonflower Vine or Children of the Dust, to name just two of the better ones out there.
Publication 2025
This poor book suffers as it follows my reading of master works by William Trevor and Robert Seethaler. In comparison, the prose is pedestrian and everything else lacks depth. If you are interested in AI, an engaging read that will give you more than these drips and drabs is Ethan Mollick's Co-Intelligence: The Definitive, Best Selling Guide to Living and Working with AI. If you're looking for a good family drama, try The Moonflower Vine or Children of the Dust, to name just two of the better ones out there.
Publication 2025
May 4, 2025
Bruce Holsinger’s Culpability may be one of the first contemporary novels to address the ethical consequences of AI as it’s now understood in our current world. Some may argue the first AI story was Karl Capek’s Rossum’s Universal Robot in 1920, when the term “robot” was first coined. Science fiction would later have a heyday speculating how our world could or would eventually be commandeered by machines. What makes Holsinger’s Culpability so different is it’s not science fiction, but rather a realistic family drama. This could’ve been written by Ann Patchett or Mary Beth Keane. And correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think this kind of novel exists, yet?
After a fatal crash involving AI car technology, a shattered family retreats to Chesapeake Bay—only to unravel the truth that each of them, in some way, holds a thread of culpability. As secrets unfold—including ties to a powerful tech magnate (thinly disguised Elon Musk)—the novel explores not just guilt and grief, but the deeper question of responsibility in an age of automation. Though plot-driven, the writing occasionally soars with vivid, poetic descriptions of the Bay, grounding the emotional turbulence in place. A timely and unsettling look at the illusion of control, and a reminder that no matter how advanced our machines, human accountability remains.
Note: I put my own take on the book as a prompt into ChatGPT and it wrote the above paragraph. I thought that was appropriate for the topic. Back to my own, less compelling voice.
This is a must-read for anyone wrestling with the ethics of AI and our role as humans in a world dominated by machines.
Thank you to Goodreads and Spiegel & Grau for review copy and the chance to read this early. I’m looking forward to hearing Holsinger do interviews about this book and the research he did to be able to present the ethical consequences of AI in the format of realistic fiction - a real feat.
After a fatal crash involving AI car technology, a shattered family retreats to Chesapeake Bay—only to unravel the truth that each of them, in some way, holds a thread of culpability. As secrets unfold—including ties to a powerful tech magnate (thinly disguised Elon Musk)—the novel explores not just guilt and grief, but the deeper question of responsibility in an age of automation. Though plot-driven, the writing occasionally soars with vivid, poetic descriptions of the Bay, grounding the emotional turbulence in place. A timely and unsettling look at the illusion of control, and a reminder that no matter how advanced our machines, human accountability remains.
Note: I put my own take on the book as a prompt into ChatGPT and it wrote the above paragraph. I thought that was appropriate for the topic. Back to my own, less compelling voice.
This is a must-read for anyone wrestling with the ethics of AI and our role as humans in a world dominated by machines.
Thank you to Goodreads and Spiegel & Grau for review copy and the chance to read this early. I’m looking forward to hearing Holsinger do interviews about this book and the research he did to be able to present the ethical consequences of AI in the format of realistic fiction - a real feat.
July 23, 2025
This was shallow and misogynistic.
July 12, 2025
I liked the premise and it raised some interesting ideas and questions, but every single character was REALLY annoying and I couldn't sympathise with any of them.
July 20, 2025
150% anxiety inducing for parents of teenagers.
Noah is used to living in his wife, Loralai’s shadow. She is a brilliant professor of both philosophy and artificial intelligence and engineering. He’s just a lawyer. They have a 17-year-old son Charlie, as well as two young daughters. Then the unthinkable happens. While in their self driving minivan, with Charlie at the wheel, they get into a terrible car accident. Young Alice screams as she sees a car heading towards them, Charlie grabs the wheel away from the AI, and the elderly couple in the other car dies. The family is injured, but ultimately all five of them survive.
The accident is building guilt in all five of them, as they have secrets that they don’t want to share with each other. Will Charlie be held accountable for the deaths? Will Noah? Will he be arrested and put on trial for vehicular manslaughter?
I am a fan of Bruce Holsinger‘s work. His previous novel, the displacements, I read in my book club and haven’t stopped thinking about since. It’s a unique situation that helps us to understand that even if you are very upper middle class, with the right bad luck you can end up desolate. Because I read one to two books every single day, it is really saying something to say that a plot of a book stayed with me. I’ve read more than 1000 books since I read the displacements.
I will also be thinking about this book for years to come. It takes The things that we worry the most about and puts all of them together in one family. In particular, who is culpable when AI is created and AI makes a mistake. If artificial intelligence has free will, it is still humans that are responsible for the decisions that artificial intelligence makes. The characters in this one are very strong, you can see how each character is driven by very human tendencies in their very AI driven world.
If artificial intelligence being added to cars prevents hundreds of thousands of vehicle deaths per year, and yet it causes the death of one, is the risk worth the reward?
Not if you’re that one.
Noah is used to living in his wife, Loralai’s shadow. She is a brilliant professor of both philosophy and artificial intelligence and engineering. He’s just a lawyer. They have a 17-year-old son Charlie, as well as two young daughters. Then the unthinkable happens. While in their self driving minivan, with Charlie at the wheel, they get into a terrible car accident. Young Alice screams as she sees a car heading towards them, Charlie grabs the wheel away from the AI, and the elderly couple in the other car dies. The family is injured, but ultimately all five of them survive.
The accident is building guilt in all five of them, as they have secrets that they don’t want to share with each other. Will Charlie be held accountable for the deaths? Will Noah? Will he be arrested and put on trial for vehicular manslaughter?
I am a fan of Bruce Holsinger‘s work. His previous novel, the displacements, I read in my book club and haven’t stopped thinking about since. It’s a unique situation that helps us to understand that even if you are very upper middle class, with the right bad luck you can end up desolate. Because I read one to two books every single day, it is really saying something to say that a plot of a book stayed with me. I’ve read more than 1000 books since I read the displacements.
I will also be thinking about this book for years to come. It takes The things that we worry the most about and puts all of them together in one family. In particular, who is culpable when AI is created and AI makes a mistake. If artificial intelligence has free will, it is still humans that are responsible for the decisions that artificial intelligence makes. The characters in this one are very strong, you can see how each character is driven by very human tendencies in their very AI driven world.
If artificial intelligence being added to cars prevents hundreds of thousands of vehicle deaths per year, and yet it causes the death of one, is the risk worth the reward?
Not if you’re that one.
July 30, 2025
I do not recommend this book. It was sophomoric, trite and superficial. I felt it was a waste of my time and not an enjoyable read. the only salvation is the font is large and quite a few of the chapters are less than 3 pages so you rapidly get to the next book in your list.
July 4, 2025
A fun and quick read but i didn't really feel that it added anything new to the conversation about AI.
Also the fact that the entire cause of the crash was actually just Alice screaming to get a reaction from her family really sort of cut the legs out from under the "who is responsible in this AI-driven car????" element.
Also the fact that the entire cause of the crash was actually just Alice screaming to get a reaction from her family really sort of cut the legs out from under the "who is responsible in this AI-driven car????" element.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2025
Have you ever been in a Waymo robotaxi?
This was one of my favourite book club reads this Fall, right after Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall.
First of all, that title and cover! I love how the Latin ‘culpa’ is broken from ‘ability’ as much as I love the glitchy feel of the design.
This is a contemporary family drama centered on an accident involving a teenage driver, a theme focusing on collective responsibility, and a metaphor suggesting that ‘family’ is an algorithm. It’s set in Eastern Virginia along the shores of Chesapeake Bay, and as with all families, secrets bind the Cassidy-Shaw family together. However, it’s the belief that each of the 5 family members in the van has, being convinced that they are responsible for the accident, that grabbed my attention. Author Bruce Holsinger explores the loss of autonomy, agency, and deftly layers guilt with AI technology.
I was pulled into this story, told from the husband’s POV, because of the composition of the narrative. It’s written in 5 parts, and these chunks, which are delightfully titled, allow the reader to feel as though they are moving through the algorithm.
AI has certainly put us all in a very vulnerable place right now, especially with respect to learning and reading. It was good to explore this topic that I know very little about, and examine the ethics and legalities of AI as well as digital vehicle forensics. I was caught up in the paranoia and closed the book, promising myself that I wouldn’t allow fear to ever outweigh my judgement.
The author’s input at book club elevated this reading experience for me.
Highly recommended.
This was one of my favourite book club reads this Fall, right after Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall.
First of all, that title and cover! I love how the Latin ‘culpa’ is broken from ‘ability’ as much as I love the glitchy feel of the design.
This is a contemporary family drama centered on an accident involving a teenage driver, a theme focusing on collective responsibility, and a metaphor suggesting that ‘family’ is an algorithm. It’s set in Eastern Virginia along the shores of Chesapeake Bay, and as with all families, secrets bind the Cassidy-Shaw family together. However, it’s the belief that each of the 5 family members in the van has, being convinced that they are responsible for the accident, that grabbed my attention. Author Bruce Holsinger explores the loss of autonomy, agency, and deftly layers guilt with AI technology.
I was pulled into this story, told from the husband’s POV, because of the composition of the narrative. It’s written in 5 parts, and these chunks, which are delightfully titled, allow the reader to feel as though they are moving through the algorithm.
AI has certainly put us all in a very vulnerable place right now, especially with respect to learning and reading. It was good to explore this topic that I know very little about, and examine the ethics and legalities of AI as well as digital vehicle forensics. I was caught up in the paranoia and closed the book, promising myself that I wouldn’t allow fear to ever outweigh my judgement.
The author’s input at book club elevated this reading experience for me.
Highly recommended.
January 18, 2026
4.5/5 stars Wow! What a great concept for a book.
This is such a bingeable book! It captured my attention from the opening moments of the book and kept reeling me in every step of the way.
On the way to a lacrosse tournament, the Shaw family's autonomous minivan is involved in a fatal car collision. They must each come to terms with what has happened. In the aftermath, they take a trip to Chesapeake Bay, to get away and try to heal, but the repercussions follow them. I loved the use of some interesting plot devices in the story, and how individual family secrets play a big role in the decisions and choices that are made.
Things to consider |
•Feelings about AI
•Roles of parents
•Moral and ethical questions
•Consequences
•Realistic family drama
I think this is a book to watch for. It will make you question how you feel about AI and moral consequences, and what your culpability is in a given situation. This is so relevant in today's world. Don’t read the synopsis of the book, I feel like it gives too much away. Such a compelling story!
Highly recommend! Loved this one. 👍
[Thanks to the publisher, Spiegel & Grau and NetGalley for the advance electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]
⚠️| Contains some instances of strong profanity, not frequent. Some mentions of drug use, and a very brief steamy scene, with mild details.
This is such a bingeable book! It captured my attention from the opening moments of the book and kept reeling me in every step of the way.
On the way to a lacrosse tournament, the Shaw family's autonomous minivan is involved in a fatal car collision. They must each come to terms with what has happened. In the aftermath, they take a trip to Chesapeake Bay, to get away and try to heal, but the repercussions follow them. I loved the use of some interesting plot devices in the story, and how individual family secrets play a big role in the decisions and choices that are made.
Things to consider |
•Feelings about AI
•Roles of parents
•Moral and ethical questions
•Consequences
•Realistic family drama
I think this is a book to watch for. It will make you question how you feel about AI and moral consequences, and what your culpability is in a given situation. This is so relevant in today's world. Don’t read the synopsis of the book, I feel like it gives too much away. Such a compelling story!
Highly recommend! Loved this one. 👍
[Thanks to the publisher, Spiegel & Grau and NetGalley for the advance electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]
⚠️| Contains some instances of strong profanity, not frequent. Some mentions of drug use, and a very brief steamy scene, with mild details.
July 28, 2026
In a Nutshell: A contemporary drama about a family whose life changes after an accident. Interesting representation of technology (specifically AI) and its impact on real-life issues. Goes overboard on subplots and secrets. I expected to like it better given my antipathy towards excessive AI reliance, but the OTT drama and the annoying lead character were a turnoff. This is an outlier review.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
We are all aware of the discussions on the ethical and moral implications of the use of AI in daily life. While AI can be beneficial in certain cases, it has also done a lot of harm in the last few years, partly due to the environmental damage created by its massive servers and partly due to its misuse by ignorant users and greedy corporations. Like it or not, AI is here to stay, and with every subsequent day, it embeds itself more into our lives. Many people equate AI to be ChatGPT, but that is only generative AI. Even prior to this, we’ve had AI-reliant devices such as virtual assistants on the likes of Alexa and Siri, self-driving cars, drones, chatbots, and more. This book tries to incorporate as many technologies as possible within its plot, trying to get us to see the benefits and harms of each. And therein lies a part of its downfall.
Given that there were five members in the Cassidy-Shaw family, plus a few more key characters in the book, there was enough material to create an intricate moral drama focussing on the AI systems used in self-driving cars. Instead, the plot lists every major usage of AI in regular life and assigns at least one of these to the arc of each character. This creates an unnecessarily cluttered and somewhat disjointed plot. The accident itself had more than enough legal and ethical complexity for an entire novel. Why add so much more? Even if everything is tied to the accident and its aftermath, the plot still feels too tangled.
This might have been okay if the characters were likeable or at least relatable. But every single one of them, including the kids, are annoying to varying degrees. The most irritating one is easily Noah, who has a major insecurity about his wife’s superior intelligence and success. Instead of handling it like a mature grown-up, he ends up a whiny man-child who can't even parent his kids with authority. Under normal circumstances, this would have made me side with Lorelei, but her behaviour was also tiresome. The girls Alice and Izzy can probably get away with some problematic attitude because of their younger age, but Charlie’s life choices didn’t allow me to sympathise with him either. Almost all the characters, including the secondary and minor ones, acted entitled. Not a surprise as almost all the main characters are from a privileged upper-class white family, thereby limiting the relatability further.
Unlikeable characters are still fine in fiction as long as they show some growth over the narrative. But most characters in this book remain the same throughout. Furthermore, all of them, even the kids, keep at least one major secret from the rest of the family. Some of these are revealed to the others at opportune moments in the plot; some aren’t revealed at all except to the readers. It’s really annoying when there are so many secrets circulating. I did like how some of the secrets involved guilt from the five characters, each of whom thought they were responsible for the accident.
It doesn’t help that Noah is the chosen narrator for this story. I get that his character was probably in the best position to see all the events from a third-party angle, but I sure wish his common sense and maturity were greater in quantity. His inner monologues are in the same tone throughout, and worse, his inferiority complex doesn’t motivate him to make better choices. Some of his thoughts (such as his almost-voyeuristic observations of how Charlie’s potential girlfriend applies suntan lotion on his "muscular body") made him sound like a pervert. When he drove his daughters home drunk even though they were just recovering from one car accident, I lost all patience with him.
On the positive side, the plot raises valid questions about AI usage. It doesn’t take a side for or against AI, but highlights how the responsibility lies on human shoulders. The ethical dilemmas of a car accident involving autonomous vehicles are also explored well. The excerpts from Lorelei’s book are quite excellent and thought-provoking. Also, the chat interaction between two characters was quite creepy for me to read as a mother to teen girls.
The title is also perfect. Where does human culpability begin in AI-related situations? Can technology (or its creator) have culpability in case of accidents? Given that the culpability of all the main characters in the book is in question at some point or the other, there couldn’t have been a better title for such a story.
The book has several political inserts, with some names referenced. This might bother those who prefer to stay away from political content in fiction. I used to be in the same category, but these days, I am so fed up of certain empty-brained-yet-egotistic politicians that I enjoy seeing them roasted, even if it is in fiction.
I might have still rated the book higher had the ending been satisfactory. But it was so anti-climactic! I expected better justice for all parties and probably some important learnings for Noah. Disappointed on both counts. I am most annoyed that stupid Noah ended up being the saviour of his double-PhD wife’s career dilemma. Give me a break! And give women some credit!
🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 10 hrs 21 min, is narrated mostly by Stacy Carolan, with the interludes voices by January LaVoy. Both the narrators do a great job. Carolan voices all characters with a proper distinction in their voices. While some of his emotions fell a little flat for Lorelei’s character, I appreciate that he didn’t sound weird for the female voices. LaVoy is as outstanding as always. She does such a fabulous job that I was convinced there were two female narrators for the chat interactions. As the plot is mostly linear and the interludes distinctly marked, the audiobook is a great option even for newbies listeners.
Overall, this novel could have gone better for me with limited topics, fewer secrets, and more relatable characters. I still like some issues it raised as they are quite relevant. If only the book had stuck to the core topic within adding unnecessary subplots! Attempting to be both a domestic drama and a clarion call on AI ethics just resulted in a half-baked storyline that goes wide rather than deep.
Still, mine is very much an outlier opinion. Several other readers have enjoyed its moral exploration of AI. Please do read those opinions before taking a call on this book.
I can recommend this only for the topic of AI ethics and nothing else. I wish we had more and better novels exploring this complex issue.
2 stars.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I follow the Goodreads rating policy:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Lifelong favourite!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I loved the book.
⭐⭐⭐ - I liked the book.
⭐⭐ - I found the book average.
⭐ - I hated the book.
The decimals indicate the degree of the in-between feelings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
The Cassidy-Shaw’s self-driving minivan gets into an accident when seventeen-year-old Charlie is in the driver’s seat, his father Noah is next to him working on his laptop, and his mother Lorelei (a renowned expert on AI ethics) and tween sisters Alice and Izzy are in the backseat busy with their own phones. The accident results in the deaths of the two people in the other car. Who is to blame for their deaths? The situation gets further complicated with the fact that the minivan was fully autonomous and that each family member has a secret connected to the accident. When Noah takes his family for a week-long recuperation to Chesapeake Bay, the moral complications of the accident and its emotional repercussions become too hard to ignore.
The story comes to us in Noah’s first-person perspective, with some interlude chapters containing excerpts from a book written by Lorelei and also an ongoing chat interaction.
We are all aware of the discussions on the ethical and moral implications of the use of AI in daily life. While AI can be beneficial in certain cases, it has also done a lot of harm in the last few years, partly due to the environmental damage created by its massive servers and partly due to its misuse by ignorant users and greedy corporations. Like it or not, AI is here to stay, and with every subsequent day, it embeds itself more into our lives. Many people equate AI to be ChatGPT, but that is only generative AI. Even prior to this, we’ve had AI-reliant devices such as virtual assistants on the likes of Alexa and Siri, self-driving cars, drones, chatbots, and more. This book tries to incorporate as many technologies as possible within its plot, trying to get us to see the benefits and harms of each. And therein lies a part of its downfall.
Given that there were five members in the Cassidy-Shaw family, plus a few more key characters in the book, there was enough material to create an intricate moral drama focussing on the AI systems used in self-driving cars. Instead, the plot lists every major usage of AI in regular life and assigns at least one of these to the arc of each character. This creates an unnecessarily cluttered and somewhat disjointed plot. The accident itself had more than enough legal and ethical complexity for an entire novel. Why add so much more? Even if everything is tied to the accident and its aftermath, the plot still feels too tangled.
This might have been okay if the characters were likeable or at least relatable. But every single one of them, including the kids, are annoying to varying degrees. The most irritating one is easily Noah, who has a major insecurity about his wife’s superior intelligence and success. Instead of handling it like a mature grown-up, he ends up a whiny man-child who can't even parent his kids with authority. Under normal circumstances, this would have made me side with Lorelei, but her behaviour was also tiresome. The girls Alice and Izzy can probably get away with some problematic attitude because of their younger age, but Charlie’s life choices didn’t allow me to sympathise with him either. Almost all the characters, including the secondary and minor ones, acted entitled. Not a surprise as almost all the main characters are from a privileged upper-class white family, thereby limiting the relatability further.
Unlikeable characters are still fine in fiction as long as they show some growth over the narrative. But most characters in this book remain the same throughout. Furthermore, all of them, even the kids, keep at least one major secret from the rest of the family. Some of these are revealed to the others at opportune moments in the plot; some aren’t revealed at all except to the readers. It’s really annoying when there are so many secrets circulating. I did like how some of the secrets involved guilt from the five characters, each of whom thought they were responsible for the accident.
It doesn’t help that Noah is the chosen narrator for this story. I get that his character was probably in the best position to see all the events from a third-party angle, but I sure wish his common sense and maturity were greater in quantity. His inner monologues are in the same tone throughout, and worse, his inferiority complex doesn’t motivate him to make better choices. Some of his thoughts (such as his almost-voyeuristic observations of how Charlie’s potential girlfriend applies suntan lotion on his "muscular body") made him sound like a pervert. When he drove his daughters home drunk even though they were just recovering from one car accident, I lost all patience with him.
On the positive side, the plot raises valid questions about AI usage. It doesn’t take a side for or against AI, but highlights how the responsibility lies on human shoulders. The ethical dilemmas of a car accident involving autonomous vehicles are also explored well. The excerpts from Lorelei’s book are quite excellent and thought-provoking. Also, the chat interaction between two characters was quite creepy for me to read as a mother to teen girls.
The title is also perfect. Where does human culpability begin in AI-related situations? Can technology (or its creator) have culpability in case of accidents? Given that the culpability of all the main characters in the book is in question at some point or the other, there couldn’t have been a better title for such a story.
The book has several political inserts, with some names referenced. This might bother those who prefer to stay away from political content in fiction. I used to be in the same category, but these days, I am so fed up of certain empty-brained-yet-egotistic politicians that I enjoy seeing them roasted, even if it is in fiction.
I might have still rated the book higher had the ending been satisfactory. But it was so anti-climactic! I expected better justice for all parties and probably some important learnings for Noah. Disappointed on both counts. I am most annoyed that stupid Noah ended up being the saviour of his double-PhD wife’s career dilemma. Give me a break! And give women some credit!
🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 10 hrs 21 min, is narrated mostly by Stacy Carolan, with the interludes voices by January LaVoy. Both the narrators do a great job. Carolan voices all characters with a proper distinction in their voices. While some of his emotions fell a little flat for Lorelei’s character, I appreciate that he didn’t sound weird for the female voices. LaVoy is as outstanding as always. She does such a fabulous job that I was convinced there were two female narrators for the chat interactions. As the plot is mostly linear and the interludes distinctly marked, the audiobook is a great option even for newbies listeners.
Overall, this novel could have gone better for me with limited topics, fewer secrets, and more relatable characters. I still like some issues it raised as they are quite relevant. If only the book had stuck to the core topic within adding unnecessary subplots! Attempting to be both a domestic drama and a clarion call on AI ethics just resulted in a half-baked storyline that goes wide rather than deep.
Still, mine is very much an outlier opinion. Several other readers have enjoyed its moral exploration of AI. Please do read those opinions before taking a call on this book.
I can recommend this only for the topic of AI ethics and nothing else. I wish we had more and better novels exploring this complex issue.
2 stars.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I follow the Goodreads rating policy:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Lifelong favourite!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I loved the book.
⭐⭐⭐ - I liked the book.
⭐⭐ - I found the book average.
⭐ - I hated the book.
The decimals indicate the degree of the in-between feelings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Facebook ||
March 27, 2026
DNF @ 21%
This review isn't meant to address the anxieties of folks who are scared of AI. So don't expect it to. All nasty comments will be DELETED.
I'm going to be very direct. But I'm also going to strive to be respectful. Not of the book, but of its fans. I think you all liked this book because the author did his job extremely well. And what else are any of us here for if not a well designed story?
Sadly, for me this book lands as a gimmick to sell people's fear back to them as a story. I am stunned by how twisted and incorrect the AI information is here, specifically regarding its safety to users (AI is extremely safe, to the point I sometimes call my ChatGPT assistant "Nanny") and its ability to transfer culpability to users (only in specific cases can this be done, usually when the user violates the user agreement-- like letting an AI take complete control of a moving vehicle).
All the fear mongering and moral aggrandizing within these pages is not for anyone's good. It's to sell a book to people who already agree with its basic premise: that AI is dangerous, even life-threatening. This is a technique that works, clearly, considering how many "awards" this book received. (But interestingly few awards for content; mainly for sales.) For this writer, writing a book just looks like this: to identify the current moral freak-out that everyone is talking about and write a scary book about it. He's been doing it for a long, long time.
The humans in the car accident in the opening scene are culpable for their actions. They were driving a car and not paying attention. Legally, they were in the wrong. Ethically, they were in the wrong. And morally, they were in the wrong. No court on Earth would side with a user who doesn't follow their user agreement.
So, since this whole premise is based on ideas that were poorly researched and misrepresented to scare me, I stopped reading. Outside of a horror story, I don't really find fear-mongering appropriate.
I was sent a hardback copy by the publisher in the mail last year. I finally was able to borrow an accessible copy (audiobook) in Libby.
This review isn't meant to address the anxieties of folks who are scared of AI. So don't expect it to. All nasty comments will be DELETED.
I'm going to be very direct. But I'm also going to strive to be respectful. Not of the book, but of its fans. I think you all liked this book because the author did his job extremely well. And what else are any of us here for if not a well designed story?
Sadly, for me this book lands as a gimmick to sell people's fear back to them as a story. I am stunned by how twisted and incorrect the AI information is here, specifically regarding its safety to users (AI is extremely safe, to the point I sometimes call my ChatGPT assistant "Nanny") and its ability to transfer culpability to users (only in specific cases can this be done, usually when the user violates the user agreement-- like letting an AI take complete control of a moving vehicle).
All the fear mongering and moral aggrandizing within these pages is not for anyone's good. It's to sell a book to people who already agree with its basic premise: that AI is dangerous, even life-threatening. This is a technique that works, clearly, considering how many "awards" this book received. (But interestingly few awards for content; mainly for sales.) For this writer, writing a book just looks like this: to identify the current moral freak-out that everyone is talking about and write a scary book about it. He's been doing it for a long, long time.
The humans in the car accident in the opening scene are culpable for their actions. They were driving a car and not paying attention. Legally, they were in the wrong. Ethically, they were in the wrong. And morally, they were in the wrong. No court on Earth would side with a user who doesn't follow their user agreement.
So, since this whole premise is based on ideas that were poorly researched and misrepresented to scare me, I stopped reading. Outside of a horror story, I don't really find fear-mongering appropriate.
I was sent a hardback copy by the publisher in the mail last year. I finally was able to borrow an accessible copy (audiobook) in Libby.
June 11, 2026
4.5 stars. This is my IRL book club's current selection and once again I found myself immersed in a novel in which the scaffolding of the story was something I don't have a confident grasp on: AI. And to illustrate how clueless I can be about this. One of the kids has a secret texting relationship with a bot. I didn't pick up on that for quite a while. I thought she was texting a friend, a human friend.
A family of 5 is driving or should it be riding in a self-driving vehicle and are involved in an accident which kills an elderly couple in the other vehicle. Thus the title- Culpability. Who or what should be held to account for this vehicular crash resulting in the two deaths?
Everyone in the family seems to have a secret and like the proverbial onion, as one begins to peel back the layers, secrets are revealed, blame seems to shift and each individual must confront how their role may have contributed to the crash and its aftereffects.
Most of the story is told through the POV of the father, Noah, who already brings some baggage to the table. After initial medical treatment is provided for the physically injured (a concussion, and an arm fracture), they pack up and head to a place on Chesapeake Bay for a week to process what has happened and prepare for the legal ramifications to come. Now the secondary story begins that brings its own complications.
I liked how things were not all wrapped up in a bow in the end. I think about the issues and wonder what is in store for some of the characters. I have some worry for Charlie (he may just need time) but more so for Alice.
The reviews are all over the place for this book, but I think the author frames the story beautifully and brings to the fore some of the questions about how AI is moving into our everyday lives and the ethical dilemmas it may poise.
When humans do something wrong, they generally face consequences. Even when our wrongdoing goes undetected by another....we tend to experience guilt, shame, regret.
Algorithms face no such consequences for their misbehavior, either societal or emotional. Punishment, guilt, culpability are alien to them. There are no moral qualms in an algorithm
I want to believe in humans. I want to believe that even at the last second, an AI can and should be over-ridden by a knowing, human conscience. By a moral mind with a soul. Now I'm not so sure.
A family of 5 is driving or should it be riding in a self-driving vehicle and are involved in an accident which kills an elderly couple in the other vehicle. Thus the title- Culpability. Who or what should be held to account for this vehicular crash resulting in the two deaths?
Everyone in the family seems to have a secret and like the proverbial onion, as one begins to peel back the layers, secrets are revealed, blame seems to shift and each individual must confront how their role may have contributed to the crash and its aftereffects.
Most of the story is told through the POV of the father, Noah, who already brings some baggage to the table. After initial medical treatment is provided for the physically injured (a concussion, and an arm fracture), they pack up and head to a place on Chesapeake Bay for a week to process what has happened and prepare for the legal ramifications to come. Now the secondary story begins that brings its own complications.
I liked how things were not all wrapped up in a bow in the end. I think about the issues and wonder what is in store for some of the characters. I have some worry for Charlie (he may just need time) but more so for Alice.
The reviews are all over the place for this book, but I think the author frames the story beautifully and brings to the fore some of the questions about how AI is moving into our everyday lives and the ethical dilemmas it may poise.
When humans do something wrong, they generally face consequences. Even when our wrongdoing goes undetected by another....we tend to experience guilt, shame, regret.
Algorithms face no such consequences for their misbehavior, either societal or emotional. Punishment, guilt, culpability are alien to them. There are no moral qualms in an algorithm
I want to believe in humans. I want to believe that even at the last second, an AI can and should be over-ridden by a knowing, human conscience. By a moral mind with a soul. Now I'm not so sure.
December 6, 2025
During Thanksgiving this year, my nephew from San Francisco was in town. He works at Google. We had an eye-opening (for me) conversation about A.I. - Artificial Intelligence. My questions to him included:
Can A.I. think as humans do?
Will A.I. in time take over people's jobs? Which ones?
How does A.I. work?
Is A.I. devoid of morals/ethics?
A few days later, "Culpability" became available from the library. How's that for timing?
The book is a fictionalized account of the integration of A.I. in to one family's life. The family owns a smart car that drives itself. The 15 year old daughter has an A.I. "friend" that she talks with on her IPAD. The family's vacation home rental comes equipped with smart, Alexa-like features. Drones are used in various ways.
The mother in the family (Lorelei) is gifted. She is a leader in the field of A.I. The book opens up with the family driving in their smart car and getting into a serious accident. The story asks the question, "Who is culpable?" Is it the A.I. car, the 17 year old son who was in the driver's seat, or his father who was sitting beside him?
The novel is a cross between a family drama, a detective story, and a meditation about A.I.'s role in our world. It asks more questions than it answers. I found it to be a satisfying read.
Can A.I. think as humans do?
Will A.I. in time take over people's jobs? Which ones?
How does A.I. work?
Is A.I. devoid of morals/ethics?
A few days later, "Culpability" became available from the library. How's that for timing?
The book is a fictionalized account of the integration of A.I. in to one family's life. The family owns a smart car that drives itself. The 15 year old daughter has an A.I. "friend" that she talks with on her IPAD. The family's vacation home rental comes equipped with smart, Alexa-like features. Drones are used in various ways.
The mother in the family (Lorelei) is gifted. She is a leader in the field of A.I. The book opens up with the family driving in their smart car and getting into a serious accident. The story asks the question, "Who is culpable?" Is it the A.I. car, the 17 year old son who was in the driver's seat, or his father who was sitting beside him?
The novel is a cross between a family drama, a detective story, and a meditation about A.I.'s role in our world. It asks more questions than it answers. I found it to be a satisfying read.
October 8, 2025
Just about every day we hear about how quickly A.I. is progressing and soon could replace millions of people in their jobs. I read recently that it's likely A.I. will gradually develop their own personalities, ethics, and reactions to challenges, making it more difficult for humans to maintain control over them (it?). No one seems to be thinking of this as they rush to create the next bigger and better phenomenon.
With that in mind, this book simply fascinated me from page one, word one. It starts out with a family of five driving in heavy traffic, the teenage boy at the wheel of their new super intuitive car, full of all the bells and whistles that make it think for you and deliver the ultimate safe, worry-free drive. Except a series of human failures cause a serious, deadly accident and the rest of the book is one reveal after another just how each family member contributed to the accident -- and how A.I. failed them.
I don't want to reveal just how ingrained the family is in A.I., but by the end it made for one of the best books I've read (listened to) this year.
With that in mind, this book simply fascinated me from page one, word one. It starts out with a family of five driving in heavy traffic, the teenage boy at the wheel of their new super intuitive car, full of all the bells and whistles that make it think for you and deliver the ultimate safe, worry-free drive. Except a series of human failures cause a serious, deadly accident and the rest of the book is one reveal after another just how each family member contributed to the accident -- and how A.I. failed them.
I don't want to reveal just how ingrained the family is in A.I., but by the end it made for one of the best books I've read (listened to) this year.
March 1, 2026
Algorithm--a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer.
“to project onto them our ways of understanding the world. Yet such human-seeming systems comprise a small fraction of the AI shaping our everyday experience. Even as you read these words, there are AI systems at work all around you, with profound bearing on the disposition of your food, your money, your shelter, your safety. They manage investment portfolios, coordinate global supply chains, and keep networks secure. They direct air traffic, drive trucks and cars, detect fraud, and optimize irrigation schedules. Increasingly, they fight wars. And there is almost no one teaching them how to be good.”
I fell into this book totally by accident and had no desire to read another book about AI. I picked it up as I believed it was a mystery that had some deep ethical questions--a subject I do find interesting.
This novel that revolves around ethical questions and guilt also includes very interesting questions about AI and its place in society. Second book I read on this subject. Micheal Connelly's Lincoln lawyer takes on an AI case in his recent, The Proving Ground. That book looked at a criminal act where the client was influenced by AI. This story also looked at ethics surrounding AI but in a whole more well rounded way.
The story begins when the family is involved in a traffic accident while in a self-driven car. The whole family is involved with tech in some form at the time of the accident--either on smart phones or computers. The pervasiveness of technology in this day and age for both young and old and all around us is a reality taken on in this story.
Who is at fault when AI misfires? Can we really trust the machines we put our lives into these days and soon our world's futures as well? Are we being rather naive? Is all this technology harmful? or in the end will it be our savior? Does it do a better job than humans at evaluating risks and options and who puts in the data that guides it?
Alot of questions and ideas about the possible future ahead in just the next few years. Great ideas about ethics and who decides. All that wrapped around an enjoyable story. The story was a little too convenient at time. I always distrust a mystery that has too many coincidences that help the plot along but in this case the coincidences did pan out and were necessary in the end. I recommend it both for its AI concerns and its mystery and it is just a fun ride. I could not get the print from the library (no buy January for me) so used the audio of the book only, narrated by Stacy Carolan and January LaVoy which was excellent.
“to project onto them our ways of understanding the world. Yet such human-seeming systems comprise a small fraction of the AI shaping our everyday experience. Even as you read these words, there are AI systems at work all around you, with profound bearing on the disposition of your food, your money, your shelter, your safety. They manage investment portfolios, coordinate global supply chains, and keep networks secure. They direct air traffic, drive trucks and cars, detect fraud, and optimize irrigation schedules. Increasingly, they fight wars. And there is almost no one teaching them how to be good.”
I fell into this book totally by accident and had no desire to read another book about AI. I picked it up as I believed it was a mystery that had some deep ethical questions--a subject I do find interesting.
This novel that revolves around ethical questions and guilt also includes very interesting questions about AI and its place in society. Second book I read on this subject. Micheal Connelly's Lincoln lawyer takes on an AI case in his recent, The Proving Ground. That book looked at a criminal act where the client was influenced by AI. This story also looked at ethics surrounding AI but in a whole more well rounded way.
The story begins when the family is involved in a traffic accident while in a self-driven car. The whole family is involved with tech in some form at the time of the accident--either on smart phones or computers. The pervasiveness of technology in this day and age for both young and old and all around us is a reality taken on in this story.
Who is at fault when AI misfires? Can we really trust the machines we put our lives into these days and soon our world's futures as well? Are we being rather naive? Is all this technology harmful? or in the end will it be our savior? Does it do a better job than humans at evaluating risks and options and who puts in the data that guides it?
Alot of questions and ideas about the possible future ahead in just the next few years. Great ideas about ethics and who decides. All that wrapped around an enjoyable story. The story was a little too convenient at time. I always distrust a mystery that has too many coincidences that help the plot along but in this case the coincidences did pan out and were necessary in the end. I recommend it both for its AI concerns and its mystery and it is just a fun ride. I could not get the print from the library (no buy January for me) so used the audio of the book only, narrated by Stacy Carolan and January LaVoy which was excellent.
October 6, 2025
Culpability by Bruce Holsinger is a deep well research, well developed novel about a family involved in a car wreck. Who is to blame? The minor driver, the father? Or AI? I love AI. I am extremely naive to it’s capabilities. It isn’t Gemini, Copilot or ChatGPT. That just scratches the surface. AI is much deeper. It has moral dilemmas and repercussions. When it fails who is responsible? Read this family drama to explore some of the deeper dilemmas in AI.
December 30, 2025
I hated every character in this book
February 22, 2026
Wowie wow wow. This one is all over the map. Moments of near genius alternate with awkward, pulpy scenes of social banter. Complex, convincingly flawed central characters interact with entirely unconvincing caricatures from outside the Cassidy-Shaw family nucleus. There is a little something here for just about every reader: life-altering traumatic events, "whodunnit" police procedural, explorations of AI-related benefits and threats, ethical dilemmas, corporate greed, marital conflict, parent-child dynamics, income inequality, young love/lust, excessive screen time, environmental stewardship versus destruction, and on and on. Of course this also means that every reader must endure those subjects that do not appeal to them in order to encounter more of what does.
Here is where I call out some egregious inaccuracies related to those important sections which take place in hospitals. (Feel free to skip to the closing paragraph if this isn't your thing.) While none of the healthcare scenes are problem-free, those in the latter half of the book border on sheer fantasy. Both Charlie and Eurydice are taken to a facility that must be modeled on Riverside Regional Medical Center, as that is the only Level II Trauma designee in Newport News. My favorite WTF moment comes when a nurse "barges through the door...slips a syringe from a pocket and injects the contents into Charlie's IV port. 'Hydroxyzine,' she says. 'It's just a sedative.'" RNs may move briskly and efficiently around their departments but they only barge into patient rooms on television. They cannot carry patient medications in their pockets to have at the ready. Hydroxyzine is not given intravenously because it will cause clotting and tissue necrosis. And it isn't a sedative, it's an anti-histamine that - as a side effect - can make one drowsy. I'll also quickly call foul on how the local media, and Daniel Monet's private security detail, are allowed to move through the hospital property. All Holsinger or his editors had to do was Google a few things and this could easily have been tidied up. Better yet, run these sections by a hospital's House Supervisor. Sadly, I cannot trust the narrative. If this is how the medical information is presented, it seems likely that there are similar misrepresentations and errors within those subjects I know relatively little about.
The more one can simply experience this novel as an energetic, self-contained thrill ride through several important contemporary topics, the more one is likely to enjoy it. But there is the irony: Culpability is clearly written in an earnest effort to get readers to pause and think more deeply about some extremely serious issues which face us today. In that regard, by trying too hard to keep things entertaining, I believe it is much less effective.
Here is where I call out some egregious inaccuracies related to those important sections which take place in hospitals. (Feel free to skip to the closing paragraph if this isn't your thing.) While none of the healthcare scenes are problem-free, those in the latter half of the book border on sheer fantasy. Both Charlie and Eurydice are taken to a facility that must be modeled on Riverside Regional Medical Center, as that is the only Level II Trauma designee in Newport News. My favorite WTF moment comes when a nurse "barges through the door...slips a syringe from a pocket and injects the contents into Charlie's IV port. 'Hydroxyzine,' she says. 'It's just a sedative.'" RNs may move briskly and efficiently around their departments but they only barge into patient rooms on television. They cannot carry patient medications in their pockets to have at the ready. Hydroxyzine is not given intravenously because it will cause clotting and tissue necrosis. And it isn't a sedative, it's an anti-histamine that - as a side effect - can make one drowsy. I'll also quickly call foul on how the local media, and Daniel Monet's private security detail, are allowed to move through the hospital property. All Holsinger or his editors had to do was Google a few things and this could easily have been tidied up. Better yet, run these sections by a hospital's House Supervisor. Sadly, I cannot trust the narrative. If this is how the medical information is presented, it seems likely that there are similar misrepresentations and errors within those subjects I know relatively little about.
The more one can simply experience this novel as an energetic, self-contained thrill ride through several important contemporary topics, the more one is likely to enjoy it. But there is the irony: Culpability is clearly written in an earnest effort to get readers to pause and think more deeply about some extremely serious issues which face us today. In that regard, by trying too hard to keep things entertaining, I believe it is much less effective.
November 4, 2025
What a ride. I was swept away by this plot—I won't give away anything—and the content. This is a mass-appeal commercial book with something meaty to say about AI. There is a lot to learn and Bruce Holsinger figured out a way to convey it in a great dramatic story. Beautifully written, full characters, excellent work.
July 28, 2025
Felt like a chore to read. I felt no connection to any of the characters. The “revelations” were predictable and boring.
July 10, 2026
4/5⭐️ AI is inevitably taking over, and this book broaches the subject of how it can never obtain the same moral values as people.
A family gets into a car crash, killing two elderly people, while in a AI self-driving car. Who’s at fault? The teenager who took over manual control when his sister screamed? The AI company? The AI system itself for not detecting the swerving car in front of them?
We need more books like this one, because AI is not a joke.
A family gets into a car crash, killing two elderly people, while in a AI self-driving car. Who’s at fault? The teenager who took over manual control when his sister screamed? The AI company? The AI system itself for not detecting the swerving car in front of them?
We need more books like this one, because AI is not a joke.
August 3, 2025
I don't ask for much in life. I want to read good books, cook as little as possible, have some time in the mornings before my kids wake up to greet the day, and maybe a little time after they go to bed to watch a show with my husband. And after the school year ends and I'm on summer break, sometime between the months of June and August, I want to read one excellent book. I don't mind reading pretty good books or even (in the right mood) truly mediocre books as long as there is something to recommend them. But at least once I want to read a perfectly executed story that will not let go of me. I'm happy to announce that today, just under the wire before the time when I need to report back to school as Mrs. Lundgren, I got to read that book.
Culpability by Bruce Holsinger sounds the depths of the moral quandaries raised by our increasing reliance on artificial intelligence. None of the technology mentioned in this book feels more than 5 years away from possibility and some if it is probably already being developed somewhere. Even the brandnames like Sense-Tech sound plausible. But Holsinger seems remarkably attuned, like his dear, sensitive fictional counterpart Lorelei, to the most difficult philosophical questions we will have to answer once we start employing AI to replace human intelligence.
Holsinger raises really important and heavy philosophical questions, but those questions never weigh down this story. It's a complex work of literature disguised as a compulsive beach read, and it would (since this is an Oprah pick, I might even predict that it WILL) make an excellent movie in the hands of the right director. As I read, my ideas about who or what was culpable for the initial car crash continually changed and evolved; ultimately, the very concept of culpability grew and expanded so that I could see the complex web that binds us all together in the face of a great tragedy.
Culpability by Bruce Holsinger sounds the depths of the moral quandaries raised by our increasing reliance on artificial intelligence. None of the technology mentioned in this book feels more than 5 years away from possibility and some if it is probably already being developed somewhere. Even the brandnames like Sense-Tech sound plausible. But Holsinger seems remarkably attuned, like his dear, sensitive fictional counterpart Lorelei, to the most difficult philosophical questions we will have to answer once we start employing AI to replace human intelligence.
Holsinger raises really important and heavy philosophical questions, but those questions never weigh down this story. It's a complex work of literature disguised as a compulsive beach read, and it would (since this is an Oprah pick, I might even predict that it WILL) make an excellent movie in the hands of the right director. As I read, my ideas about who or what was culpable for the initial car crash continually changed and evolved; ultimately, the very concept of culpability grew and expanded so that I could see the complex web that binds us all together in the face of a great tragedy.
July 3, 2025
CULPABILITY
By Bruce Holsinger
An of-the-moment novel.
If only I hadn’t …
If only she had …
If only he hadn’t …
If only we had …
If only.
4.5 stars rounded down
Culpability is both a family drama and thriller as it builds tension around an accident—an emotional heart-wrenching story that also explores life in the digital age. It follows the Cassidy-Shaw family as their lives are upended by a tragic accident involving their self-driving minivan. Teen Charlie is at the wheel, his father, Noah, is riding shotgun and his mother, and teen sisters are in the back. As blame shifts and secrets began to surface, each family member must confront their role in what happened. AI weaves through the plot in numerous intriguing ways.
It explores grief, responsibility, and the ethical challenges of life in a world shaped by advanced technology—blending intense emotion with gripping suspense.
I really enjoyed this novel and thought the writing was clear and emotional. He kept the story moving with suspense while also showing the deep feelings and struggles of the characters. So many emotions and questions after the final page This is my first read by Holsinger and look forward to reading more of his work. Would be a great choice for book clubs discussing the ethics and legalities of artificial intelligence.
Thank you to NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks. Pub date July 8, 2025
The narration by Stacy Carolan, and January LaVoy was good and fit for the tone of the book for me.
By Bruce Holsinger
An of-the-moment novel.
If only I hadn’t …
If only she had …
If only he hadn’t …
If only we had …
If only.
4.5 stars rounded down
Culpability is both a family drama and thriller as it builds tension around an accident—an emotional heart-wrenching story that also explores life in the digital age. It follows the Cassidy-Shaw family as their lives are upended by a tragic accident involving their self-driving minivan. Teen Charlie is at the wheel, his father, Noah, is riding shotgun and his mother, and teen sisters are in the back. As blame shifts and secrets began to surface, each family member must confront their role in what happened. AI weaves through the plot in numerous intriguing ways.
It explores grief, responsibility, and the ethical challenges of life in a world shaped by advanced technology—blending intense emotion with gripping suspense.
I really enjoyed this novel and thought the writing was clear and emotional. He kept the story moving with suspense while also showing the deep feelings and struggles of the characters. So many emotions and questions after the final page This is my first read by Holsinger and look forward to reading more of his work. Would be a great choice for book clubs discussing the ethics and legalities of artificial intelligence.
Thank you to NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks. Pub date July 8, 2025
The narration by Stacy Carolan, and January LaVoy was good and fit for the tone of the book for me.
July 18, 2025
TITLE: Culpability (Oprah’s Book Club, July 2025): A Novel
AUTHOR: Bruce Holsinger
PUB DATE: 07.08.2025
This novel is such a wild ride—it's thrilling, thought-provoking, and emotional all at once.
The story kicks off with a terrifying crash: the Cassidy-Shaw family’s autonomous minivan collides with an oncoming car, and suddenly, their lives are turned upside down. Charlie, the seventeen-year-old son, is at the wheel, and his parents, Noah and Lorelei, along with his younger sisters, are in the car. But here’s the catch: each family member is hiding a secret, and as the investigation unfolds, it becomes clear that the real cause of the accident might not be as simple as human error.
What really stuck with me was how this story digs into the moral dilemmas of AI. Lorelei is a leader in the field of artificial intelligence, and the book raises a huge question: When machines start making the decisions, where does responsibility lie? Is it on the tech? The creators who design it? Or the people using it? The novel really made me think about how technology is changing the way we think about accountability—and how fast it’s happening.
With Culpability, Bruce Holsinger has delivered a contemporary masterpiece that combines the best of thriller, family drama, and philosophical inquiry. This is a novel that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page, challenging your assumptions about technology, morality, and the nature of responsibility in a world that feels increasingly out of our control. Culpability is unmissable—an exhilarating, thought-provoking triumph.
AUTHOR: Bruce Holsinger
PUB DATE: 07.08.2025
This novel is such a wild ride—it's thrilling, thought-provoking, and emotional all at once.
The story kicks off with a terrifying crash: the Cassidy-Shaw family’s autonomous minivan collides with an oncoming car, and suddenly, their lives are turned upside down. Charlie, the seventeen-year-old son, is at the wheel, and his parents, Noah and Lorelei, along with his younger sisters, are in the car. But here’s the catch: each family member is hiding a secret, and as the investigation unfolds, it becomes clear that the real cause of the accident might not be as simple as human error.
What really stuck with me was how this story digs into the moral dilemmas of AI. Lorelei is a leader in the field of artificial intelligence, and the book raises a huge question: When machines start making the decisions, where does responsibility lie? Is it on the tech? The creators who design it? Or the people using it? The novel really made me think about how technology is changing the way we think about accountability—and how fast it’s happening.
With Culpability, Bruce Holsinger has delivered a contemporary masterpiece that combines the best of thriller, family drama, and philosophical inquiry. This is a novel that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page, challenging your assumptions about technology, morality, and the nature of responsibility in a world that feels increasingly out of our control. Culpability is unmissable—an exhilarating, thought-provoking triumph.
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