3.5 STARS rounded up for superior narration
CULPABILITY attempts to examine the ethics surrounding AI in the lives of members of the Cassidy-Shaw family. Noah, an attorney, feels intellectually inferior to his wife Lorelei, a giant in the AI industry. Their entitled son Charlie was texting behind the wheel of their driverless van which resulted in an accident that killed an elderly couple. Tweenage daughter Alice’s only friend is an AI chatbot. Izzy, the sociable youngest lives on her phone.
Noah and Lorelei’s marriage is filled with deception and undermining each other’s parenting. Both were terrible parents seeming to have no idea what their children did and thought under the surface. Alice was the only slightly sympathetic member of the family.
Enjoying CULPABILITY was hampered by my dislike for most of the Cassidy-Shaw family, mostly because of the way Charlie was raised and his parents excusing his behavior. The idea that someone who’s 17 and 11 months being morally less culpable than an 18 years old is ridiculous. Legally I understand the difference between child and adult. Parentally I do not. If a 17 year 11 month old can’t be trusted to drive without supervision, what did these parents think would magically happen in a month?
Stacy Carolan, the male narrator of the audiobook, might be the best male reader I’ve ever heard. His ability to do different female voices without sounding like a drag queen rivals superstar Julia Whelan’s ability to sound like a man.