A Look at The Four Spent the Day Together from Chris Kraus – An Iconic Writer Attempts Something New

The new book centers on individuals chasing after fresh starts, attempting to leave behind addictions or toxic relationships, only to see hope turn into aggression. Kraus repeatedly invokes the phrase "clean slate", rendering it deliberately jaded through constant reiteration. Phrases such as "He could make a fresh start" and "They chose to begin anew" are scattered across the text. And yet, the author herself is embarking on her own fresh start, since this appears a new kind of book – observational, authentically narrative. However it reveals itself to be filled with the familiar conflicts and approaches as her previous works.

From Accidental Writer to Renowned Book

The writer began as an creative who became a writer almost accidentally with her 1997 cult classic I Love Dick, which was composed of letters to an unreceptive lover, converting confessional female writing from self-debasement into rebellion. She continued writing, but the three subsequent compelling and abrasive novels missed the shock and immediacy that the letter form imparted to the tone of I Love Dick. This was not aided by was her position as a maverick maker who had evolved into a major property owner, so there was significant attention on property transactions. It follows that she presently aims to try out new kinds of material, directing her gaze to the experiences of others, at a time when she states that Trumpian politics turns intimate literature unnecessary.

Several Eras, One Unescapable Past

The Four Spent the Day Together is divided into three sections, covering multiple eras – each trapped by their backgrounds. We encounter the narrative about Emma and Jasper, representations of Kraus's parents, transitioning from the New York borough to rural Connecticut. There is the narrative of the author, in the character of Catt Greene, confronting the belated success of I Love Dick, the emergence of Trump, and her partner struggling with addiction a man named Paul. And there is the narrative of a homicide of one directionless individual by another in a locality long abandoned by progressive politics only 80 miles from the protagonist's home in a remote part of Minnesota.

For this reader fond of honed writing of the type the author herself tends to eschew, I was captivated by the novelistic voice of the first section.

As someone who reads who favors precise prose of the variety that Kraus often disregards, I was seduced by the literary tone of the initial part. There is a novel degree of detail that makes room for small details, like the bucket that the youthful Catt frees from the ice at the start of the story, aided by her cherished parent. "Look, an ice toy!" she says; "a nice toy", he answers, "the ambiguous meanings of language circulating in their speech like sweet treats". Kraus writes the tale of Emma 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 expected this different style could last out the book. Kraus says here that she is annoyed by the enjoyment readers like me have derived from I Love Dick; she's dedicated to disjunction, to the messy artistic approach she echoes from her inspiration writer Kathy Acker, and the emptiness and redundancy of her past books returns in the central part. The protagonist is trying to renovate three dozen dilapidated units in Albuquerque's worst neighbourhoods while moving between two different states, failing to help Paul manage his alcohol use. She is overwhelmed as her spouse transitions between underfunded jobs as an addiction therapist in a environment driven by the anger and fear that underpins Trump's victory. A significant portion discusses about Catt's social media ostracism on a platform, her listed profession modified from "author" to "property owner" on the online encyclopedia. She still gives the impression to invest excessive emotion about this. In a moment she remarks that she's researching the homicide so that before exiting the region, "she might be able to learn something about an the United States that her social media opponents would fail to comprehend, would not even see".

The Murder Narrative

So then we come to the actual killing – and the referenced day passed by the deceased with the murderer and his associates. The author possesses excellent raw material, and knows hour by hour what happened when a man named Brandon came to see Brittney after encountering her on a platform where she offered adult photos. He anticipated intimacy but seems amiably to have occupied the day in the company of her associates, mooching around having his vehicle repaired and funding treats and narcotics, before being shot by her romantic interest Micah – a youth with psychological issues who has often been institutionalized for violent rage.

Obsession and Unfinished Business

Catt develops an obsession by the story, and I was fascinated by the way that the author's conflicting impulses towards accurate chronicling and audacious rule-breaking wrestle in this part. Yet I wished her to explore more thoroughly her personal fixations here. The most interesting character is Brittney herself, who comes alive partly through Catt's identification with her – another bright, bullied girl spiraling out of control in a troubled, forgotten town. Kraus notes that Catt converses with Brittney in jail, but she omits the dramatization of these talks. This entire part feels oddly unfinished, to the degree that Kraus's narration ends almost mid-par