This latest work is populated with protagonists pursuing new beginnings, trying to break free from addictions or toxic relationships, only to witness hope devolve into violence. Chris Kraus repeatedly invokes the phrase "clean slate", transforming it into deliberately jaded through its repetitions. Examples include "He could make a fresh start" and "They chose to begin anew" recur in the text. And yet, the author herself appears to be undertaking her personal new beginning, since this appears a novel form of writing – documentarian, genuinely novelistic. But then it reveals itself to be laden with the recurring issues and styles as earlier books.
From Unplanned Author to Renowned Book
Kraus began as an artist who transitioned to writing unintentionally with her 1997 cult classic I Love Dick, which was composed of missives to a distant beloved, elevating personal female narrative from humiliation into assassination. She continued writing, but the next trio of fascinating and rebarbative novels did not possess the power and directness that the correspondence format infused into the narrative voice of I Love Dick. This was not aided by was her identity as a renegade artist who had become a large-scale low-rent landlord, so there was considerable focus on property transactions. It follows that she presently aims to experiment with different types of content, directing her gaze to the experiences of others, at a moment when she claims that Trumpian politics makes confessional writing unnecessary.
Multiple Generations, Shared Inescapable History
The Four Spent the Day Together is organized into a trio of segments, encompassing multiple eras – all unable to escape their backgrounds. There is the story of a couple named Emma and Jasper, based on the author's parents, transitioning from the New York borough to a pastoral setting. Additionally the narrative of the author, in the character of protagonist Catt Greene, grappling with the late recognition of I Love Dick, the rise of Trump, and her partner struggling with addiction her husband Paul. Finally the story of the murder of one directionless individual by another in a community largely deserted by liberal ideals only a brief drive from Catt's rural residence in a remote part of Minnesota.
As a reader fond of polished prose of the type Kraus herself tends to eschew, I was captivated by the literary tone of the opening part.
Being a reader drawn to honed writing of the style that Kraus tends to eschew, I was seduced by the storytelling approach of the initial part. It exhibits a fresh level of observation that allows space for small details, like the pail that the youthful Catt dislodges from ice at the start of the story, assisted by her beloved father. "Look, an ice toy!" she exclaims; "a great plaything", he replies, "the elliptical meanings of words tumbling in their mouths like piece candy". The author narrates Emma's story with interest and closeness. "It seemed to Emma she had entered a dream – not entirely her own."
Disappointment and Disjunction
I was fated to feel let down when I expected this new voice could last out the book. The author states here that she resents the enjoyment those who appreciate polished prose have gotten from I Love Dick; she's devoted to disruption, to the messy artistic approach she has in common with her hero Kathy Acker, and the void and recurrence of her past books comes back in the central part. Catt Greene is attempting to do up three dozen dilapidated units in the city's most challenging districts while shuttling between Minnesota and LA, unable to aid her husband manage his alcohol use. She is overwhelmed as Paul cycles through low-resource employment as an substance abuse counselor in a world propelled by the anger and fear that drives an electoral success. A significant portion discusses about Catt's social media ostracism on social media, her occupation changed from "writer" to "real estate holder" on Wikipedia. The author still appears to invest excessive emotion about this. At one point she says that she's looking into the killing so that before departing the state, "she could potentially understand something about an America that her social media opponents would fail to comprehend, would overlook entirely".
The Killing Story
So then we come to the actual killing – and the referenced day passed by the victim with the killer and his friends. Kraus has great source material, and details moment by moment what transpired when Brandon came to visit Brittney after encountering her on a platform where she marketed explicit images. He sought a sexual encounter but seems affably to have spent the day in the company of her associates, wandering about getting his car mended and paying for snacks and drugs, before being shot by Brittney's partner a man named Micah – a youth with psychological issues who has frequently been hospitalised for violent rage.
Fascination and Incompletion
Catt gets obsessed by the narrative, and I was intrigued by the way that Kraus's dual urges towards accurate chronicling and daring boundary-pushing wrestle in this part. Yet I wished her to delve deeper into her personal fixations here. The compelling persona is Brittney, who gains dimension partly through the protagonist's connection to her – yet another intelligent, harassed young woman derailing in a troubled, forgotten town. Kraus notes that Catt speaks to Brittney in detention, but she fails to enact these dialogues. The complete segment feels strangely incomplete, to the extent that the author's storytelling ends almost mid-par
