Culpability

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Culpability combines the genres of family drama and whodunnit mystery. How does the text compare to others you’ve read in this genre (e.g. Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere and Renee Knight’s Disclaimer)?

2. What did you think of Noah as the book’s narrator? How did his personality and access to information influence your understanding of events and other characters?

3. What was your reaction to the book’s structure, which includes traditional linear narration, text exchanges, articles, and fictional book excerpts? How did it affect your reading experience?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Recall a time when you imagined something negative about someone due to a lack of information or miscommunication. How does this help you understand Noah’s fears about Lorelei and Monet? Do you think his anxieties are realistic?

2. How does the family’s use of technology reflect your own experience? What kind of technologies do you rely on in your daily life? Do you feel these technologies have improved or impeded your personal development?

3. Lorelei claims that the news sensationalizes AI malfunctions and promotes fear of it. Have you read any real-world news stories concerning AI-operated machines? Do you think the text accurately reflects society’s feelings toward AI?

4. The novel opens with a tragic accident involving the entire Cassidy-Shaw family. Examining each family member’s behavior following the collision, which character do you relate to the most?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Discuss the text’s exploration of wealth disparities and what Noah calls the “oligarchy” of modern America. How does access to wealth influence the characters’ worldviews, behaviors, and interactions?

2. Explore the text’s discussion of AI’s increased use in criminal activity. How do Morrissey’s frustrations in Charlie’s investigation reflect the new challenges around the concept of guilt that the legal system faces?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Consider the novel’s allusions to mythological figures and stories. How do these legends illuminate the intricacies of the characters’ relationships and personalities?

2. Examine Alice’s relationship with the chatbot, Blair. To what extent does the chatbot hinder or encourage Alice’s personal growth? What do these interactions reveal about the changing uses of technology?

3. Identify the key moments when Lorelei and Noah understand their lives through algorithmic metaphors. How does the text use this metaphor through their experience? What stance does the text take on this perspective?

4. Choose one of Noah’s relationships and analyze the tensions that arise due to his fear of confrontation and conflict.

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Lorelei scribbles equations, doodles, and shorthand text to make sense of the accident. Create your own diagram about the accident that illustrates the distributed responsibility of the crash.

2. The book’s chapters are interspersed with excerpts from other fictional texts and documents. What other kinds of texts could help emphasize its themes of the novel? Draft an example.