Book Review: Culpability by Bruce Holsinger

AI isn’t exactly a new thing. Technically even the first electronic calculators used a form of it, though a fairly simple one. Recent developments, mainly brought about by the use of Large Language Models or LLMs, have seen the technology explode into the public consciousness in ways it never has before. A good deal of that is a mix of overblown hype and fear mongering (AI as we have it right now is not going to be usurping us as the dominant form of “life” on Earth any time soon), but it cannot be disputed that it is showing up more and more in our daily lives, for better and for worse. What that will mean going forward can be difficult to say, but in his latest novel Bruce Holsinger takes a stab at it, leaving readers with much to think about while never forgetting to entertain.

The Cassidy-Shaws, father Noah, mother Lorelei, oldest son Charlie, and daughters Alice and Izzy, are taking a road trip in their new minivan. Charlie is behind the wheel and Noah is in the front passenger seat, but they have let the vehicle’s autonomous driving system take control and neither is paying as much attention to the drive as they probably should be. When they get in an accident they are all lucky to survive with only a few injuries, but the elderly couple in the car they hit is killed at the scene.

A short time afterwards, the family rents a house on the Chesapeake Bay to take their focus off of what happened and recover from their wounds. Their relationships have become strained in the aftermath and while they manage to find some moments of happiness on the trip, a host of issues is simmering beneath the surface, waiting to come forth, especially as each of them has their own reasons to feel at fault for the crash.

One day they learn that tech billionaire Daniel Monet owns a sprawling home near their rental and Charlie winds up unexpectedly striking up a relationship with his daughter, entangling the two families and hurtling them towards a collision of their own that could threaten the fragile peace they’ve assembled.

This is first and foremost a family drama, and a very good one at that. These are flawed, complex characters that are interesting to follow while also being relatable in their worries and fears. They often make wrong-headed decisions, but they feel like the same choices many of us would make if faced with similar circumstances.

While the basic facts of the accident are established clearly and early on, the various other factors involved, especially as to who else may have contributed to it, are given out gradually as the story progresses. This core mystery and the myriad ethical dilemmas it brings up will keep most readers turning the pages well into the night.

The role of AI in our lives is a major theme here and it is handled superbly, never venturing into science fiction territory and only being used in ways it already is. It should leave even the staunchest defender of the technology at least slightly concerned about how quickly we seem to be embracing it. The cat’s out of the bag and it’s not going back in, but we need to have some serious discussions about how we handle any destruction these tools might cause and in what ways we choose to rely on them. This book is a good first step towards doing so, lucidly laying out the pros and cons while capturing the anxieties of our era and spinning a great story in the process. This is the sort of novel that you’ll be forcing into your friends hands as soon as you finish. ★★★★★