The new book is populated with protagonists seeking fresh starts, attempting to leave behind drugs or toxic relationships, only to witness hope devolve into conflict. Chris Kraus repeatedly invokes the phrase "fresh start", rendering it willfully cynical through recurring use. Examples include "He could make a fresh start" and "They decided to make a fresh start" appear throughout the narrative. And yet, she appears to be undertaking her own fresh start, as this presents as a different type of work – fact-based, truly literary. However it proves to be filled with the same dilemmas and styles as her previous works.
From Unplanned Author to Cult Classic
Kraus was originally an visual artist who became a writer almost accidentally with her 1997 cult classic I Love Dick, which was composed of missives to a distant beloved, elevating intimate women's literature from self-debasement into rebellion. She persisted as a writer, but the three subsequent engaging and challenging novels did not possess the power and directness that the letter form brought to the tone of I Love Dick. Compounding this was her identity as a nonconformist creator who had turned into a major property owner, so there was much discussion 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 moment when she states that Trumpian politics turns intimate literature unnecessary.
Several Eras, Shared Inescapable History
The Four Spent the Day Together is structured in three parts, encompassing three generations – none able to break free from their pasts. There is the tale of characters Emma and Jasper, representations of the author's parents, moving from the urban environment to rural Connecticut. Then there is the story of Kraus herself, in the guise of a figure named Catt Greene, confronting the delayed acclaim of I Love Dick, the emergence of Trump, and her addict husband her husband Paul. Finally the story of the murder of one troubled youth by another in a locality mostly forsaken by progressive politics only a brief drive from Catt's rural residence in the Minnesota countryside.
For this reader fond of honed writing of the kind Kraus herself often avoids, I was seduced by the narrative style of the opening part.
As a reader drawn to precise prose of the kind that Kraus herself tends to eschew, I was captivated by the literary tone of the first section. There is a novel degree of detail that allows space for small details, like the container that the youthful Catt pries out of frozen water at the start of the story, assisted by her cherished parent. "Look, an ice toy!" she exclaims; "a great plaything", he answers, "the ambiguous meanings of language tumbling in their mouths like piece candy". Kraus writes the tale of Emma with inquiry and familiarity. "Emma experienced a dreamlike sensation – not entirely her own."
Disappointment and Disjunction
I was destined to be disappointed when I wished this new voice could last out the book. Kraus says here that she is annoyed by the enjoyment readers like me have taken from I Love Dick; she's dedicated to disruption, to the untidy aesthetics she shares with her hero Kathy Acker, and the void and recurrence of her earlier works returns in the middle section. The protagonist is attempting to do up 36 run-down apartments in the most troubled areas of Albuquerque while moving between Minnesota and LA, failing to help her husband control his drinking. She experiences powerlessness as Paul cycles through low-resource employment as an recovery specialist in a world fueled by the rage and anxiety that underpins a political win. There are several pages about the protagonist facing cancellation on Twitter, her occupation changed from "writer" to "real estate holder" on a reference site. Kraus still seems to invest excessive emotion about this. In a moment she states that she's researching the homicide so that before departing the state, "she might be able to learn something about an the United States that her online critics would be unable to grasp, would not even see".
The Killing Story
Thus we arrive to the murder itself – and the eponymous day spent by the murdered individual with the murderer and his companions. The author possesses compelling foundational content, and knows hour by hour what transpired when a man named Brandon came to see Brittney after connecting via an application where she marketed explicit images. He sought a sexual encounter but appears congenially to have passed the day with her companions, wandering about getting his car mended and funding treats and narcotics, before being murdered by Brittney's boyfriend Micah – a youth with psychological issues who has frequently been hospitalised for aggressive outbursts.
Preoccupation and Open Ends
Catt develops an obsession by the narrative, and I was fascinated by the way that her twin drives towards accurate chronicling and daring boundary-pushing tussle in this section. However, I would have preferred her to explore more thoroughly her personal fixations here. The standout figure is the character Brittney, who comes alive in part due to Catt seeing herself in her – a similarly gifted, tormented individual going off the rails in a troubled, forgotten town. Kraus tells us that Catt speaks to Brittney in prison, but she omits the dramatization of these talks. This entire part feels curiously unresolved, to the point that the author's storytelling ends almost mid-par
