The Four Spent the Day Together is populated with individuals chasing after new beginnings, trying to break free from substance abuse or toxic relationships, only to witness hope devolve into conflict. The author repeatedly invokes the phrase "new beginning", rendering it deliberately jaded through constant reiteration. Sentences like "He aimed to start over" and "They chose to begin anew" are scattered across the story. At the same time, Kraus herself is embarking on her personal new beginning, since this presents as a new kind of book – documentarian, authentically narrative. Yet it turns out to be packed with the recurring issues and styles as earlier books.
From Unplanned Author to Cult Classic
Chris Kraus started out as an visual artist who became a writer almost accidentally with her 1997 groundbreaking book I Love Dick, structured as epistles to an unresponsive love interest, transforming personal female narrative from abjection into defiance. She continued writing, but the following three compelling and abrasive novels did not possess the power and directness that the letter form imparted to the voice of I Love Dick. This was not aided by was her position as a renegade artist who had become a large-scale low-rent landlord, so there was considerable focus on housing investments. It follows that she now wants to experiment with new kinds of material, turning outward to external narratives, at a period in which she states that current political era turns intimate literature unnecessary.
Several Eras, One Unescapable Past
The Four Spent the Day Together is organized into a trio of segments, spanning several time periods – each trapped by their pasts. The book includes the story of characters Emma and Jasper, versions of Kraus's parents, transitioning from the New York borough to rural Connecticut. Additionally the narrative of the author, in the guise of protagonist Catt Greene, confronting the late recognition of I Love Dick, the emergence of Trump, and her addict husband a man named Paul. Finally the account of a killing of one lost young man by another in a town mostly forsaken by liberal ideals only a short distance from Catt's cottage in a remote part of Minnesota.
From my perspective as a reader fond of honed writing of the kind the author herself often avoids, I was enchanted by the literary tone of the first section.
As someone who reads who favors crafted language of the variety that Kraus often disregards, I was won over by the literary tone of the first section. It possesses a novel degree of detail that makes room for small details, like the pail that the protagonist as a child dislodges from ice at the start of the story, assisted by her adored dad. "I found an ice toy!" she says; "a nice toy", he replies, "the ambiguous meanings of language circulating in their speech like hard candy". The author narrates Emma's story with inquiry and familiarity. "It seemed to Emma she had entered a dream – not entirely her own."
Letdown and Fragmentation
I was destined to be disappointed when I wished this fresh tone could continue through the novel. The author states here that she is annoyed by the enjoyment those who appreciate polished prose have derived from I Love Dick; she's devoted to fragmentation, to the unpolished style she has in common with her idol Kathy Acker, and the void and recurrence of her previous novels returns in the central part. The protagonist is working on refurbishing three dozen dilapidated units in the most troubled areas of Albuquerque while shuttling between Minnesota and LA, unable to aid Paul control his drinking. She experiences powerlessness as her spouse moves between low-resource employment as an substance abuse counselor in a society fueled by the rage and anxiety that drives an electoral success. A significant portion discusses about the protagonist facing cancellation on a platform, her occupation changed from "author" to "real estate holder" on the online encyclopedia. She still gives the impression to care a little too much about this. On one occasion she states that she's researching the homicide so that before departing the state, "she might be able to learn something about an the nation that her online critics would fail to comprehend, would not even perceive".
The Killing Story
So then we come to the homicide in question – and the referenced day passed by the deceased with the killer and his associates. The author possesses compelling foundational content, and knows hour by hour what occurred as the victim Brandon came to meet Brittney after connecting via an application where she offered adult photos. He sought a sexual encounter but appears congenially to have passed the day with her companions, loitering fixing his automobile and covering the cost of food and substances, before being murdered by Brittney's partner Micah – a individual with mental health challenges who has repeatedly received inpatient care for violent rage.
Preoccupation and Open Ends
Catt develops an obsession by the story, and I found myself captivated by the way that Kraus's dual urges towards accurate chronicling and audacious rule-breaking clash in this segment. However, I would have preferred her to explore more thoroughly her own obsessions here. The standout figure is Brittney, who becomes vivid partially because of the protagonist's connection to her – yet another intelligent, harassed young woman spiraling out of control in a struggling, neglected community. The author informs us that Catt converses with Brittney in detention, but she fails to enact these dialogues. The whole section feels curiously unresolved, to the degree that Kraus's narration ends almost mid-par
