The new book is populated with protagonists chasing after new beginnings, trying to break free from addictions or toxic relationships, only to witness hope devolve into conflict. Kraus frequently uses the phrase "clean slate", making it intentionally weary through constant reiteration. Examples include "He could make a fresh start" and "They opted for a clean break" appear throughout the narrative. At the same time, she appears to be undertaking her own fresh start, as this appears a novel form of writing – observational, truly literary. However it turns out to be laden with the familiar conflicts and styles as earlier books.
From Unplanned Author to Renowned Book
The writer began as an visual artist who transitioned to writing almost accidentally with her 1997 groundbreaking book I Love Dick, which was composed of missives to a distant beloved, converting intimate women's literature from self-debasement into assassination. She kept producing books, but the three subsequent engaging and challenging novels lacked the shock and immediacy that the letter form infused into the narrative voice of I Love Dick. Compounding this was her position as a renegade artist who had become a major property owner, so there was significant attention on housing investments. It is logical that she presently aims to experiment with different types of content, directing her gaze to the experiences of others, at a period in which she states that contemporary political climate turns intimate literature obsolete.
Several Eras, Shared Inescapable History
The Four Spent the Day Together is organized into a trio of segments, spanning several time periods – each trapped by their backgrounds. The book includes the story of Emma and Jasper, representations of Kraus's parents, moving from the New York borough to the Connecticut countryside. Then there is the account of Kraus, in the guise of Catt Greene, grappling with the late recognition of I Love Dick, the rise of Trump, and her addict husband Paul. And there is the story of the murder of one directionless individual by another in a community largely deserted by forward-thinking policies only a brief drive from the protagonist's home in the Minnesota countryside.
From my perspective as a reader drawn to honed writing of the type Kraus herself tends to eschew, I was captivated by the narrative style of the first section.
As someone who reads who favors precise prose of the kind that Kraus herself tends to eschew, I was won over by the novelistic voice of the first section. It possesses a novel degree of detail that allows space for small details, like the bucket that the young Catt pries out of frozen water at the opening of the book, aided by her adored dad. "I discovered a frozen plaything!" she declares; "a lovely toy", he answers, "the elliptical meanings of words tumbling in their mouths like piece candy". The author narrates Emma's story with interest and closeness. "Emma experienced a dreamlike sensation – not entirely her own."
Disappointment and Disjunction
I was fated to feel let down when I wished this new voice could last out the book. The author states here that she is annoyed by the pleasure those who appreciate polished prose have derived from I Love Dick; she's devoted to disruption, to the untidy aesthetics she shares with her inspiration author Kathy Acker, and the blankness and repetitiveness of her previous novels returns in the middle section. The protagonist is attempting to do up multiple decrepit residences in Albuquerque's worst neighbourhoods while shuttling between the Midwest and the West Coast, unsuccessful in assisting Paul manage his alcohol use. She is overwhelmed as Paul cycles through low-resource employment as an addiction therapist in a environment driven by the rage and anxiety that drives an electoral success. A significant portion discusses about Catt's social media ostracism on social media, her occupation changed from "novelist" to "landlord" on Wikipedia. The author still appears to be overly concerned about this. In a moment she says that she's looking into the killing so that before leaving Minnesota, "she might be able to learn something about an the United States that her online critics would fail to comprehend, would not even see".
The Killing Story
Then we reach to the homicide in question – and the eponymous day experienced by the deceased with the murderer and his companions. Kraus utilizes excellent raw material, and knows hour by hour what happened when a man named Brandon came to visit Brittney after connecting via an application where she marketed explicit images. He was hoping for sex but seems affably to have spent the day with her companions, mooching around getting his car mended and funding treats and narcotics, before being shot by Brittney's partner Micah – a youth with psychological issues who has frequently been hospitalised for violent rage.
Fascination and Incompletion
The protagonist becomes fixated by the story, and I found myself captivated by the way that Kraus's dual urges towards ethical reporting and audacious rule-breaking clash in this segment. But I'd have liked her to go further into her individual preoccupations here. The most interesting character is the character Brittney, who gains dimension partially because of Catt seeing herself in her – another bright, bullied girl going off the rails in a troubled, forgotten town. Kraus tells us that Catt speaks to Brittney in prison, but she fails to enact these dialogues. The complete segment feels oddly unfinished, to the degree that Kraus's narration ends almost mid-par
