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

This latest work centers on individuals pursuing fresh starts, attempting to leave behind drugs or abusive marriages, only to see hope turn into aggression. Chris Kraus frequently uses the phrase "clean slate", making it deliberately jaded through recurring use. Sentences like "He could make a fresh start" and "They decided to make a fresh start" are scattered across the story. And yet, Kraus herself appears to be undertaking her personal new beginning, because this seems a novel form of writing – fact-based, genuinely novelistic. However it reveals itself to be filled with the same dilemmas and aesthetics as earlier books.

From Chance Novelist to Renowned Book

Chris Kraus began as an visual artist who entered the literary world unintentionally with her 1997 seminal work I Love Dick, structured as epistles to an unresponsive love interest, elevating intimate women's literature from self-debasement into assassination. She continued writing, but the three subsequent compelling and abrasive novels missed the shock and immediacy that the epistolary style brought to the voice of I Love Dick. This was not aided by was her role as a nonconformist creator who had become a major property owner, so there was considerable focus on property transactions. It is logical that she now wants to experiment with different types of content, looking outwards to the experiences of others, at a moment when she states that current political era renders personal narrative unnecessary.

Three Generations, One Unescapable Past

The Four Spent the Day Together is organized into a trio of segments, spanning several time periods – all unable to escape their pasts. The book includes the story of Emma and Jasper, versions of Kraus's parents, transitioning from the Bronx to rural Connecticut. There is the account of Kraus, in the guise of Catt Greene, grappling with the belated success of I Love Dick, the emergence of Trump, and her partner struggling with addiction a man named Paul. Finally the narrative of a homicide of one directionless individual by another in a locality long abandoned by liberal ideals only a short distance from the protagonist's home in a remote part of Minnesota.

For this reader fond of refined literature of the sort Kraus herself typically rejects, I was captivated by the novelistic voice of the opening part.

As a reader who favors honed writing of the style that Kraus usually avoids, I was seduced by the storytelling approach of the initial part. It exhibits a fresh level of observation that makes room for minutiae, like the bucket that the protagonist as a child frees from the ice at the start of the story, aided by her adored dad. "Look, an ice toy!" she exclaims; "a great plaything", he replies, "the nuanced interpretations of terms circulating in their speech like piece candy". Kraus writes the tale of Emma with curiosity and intimacy. "Emma felt like she'd stepped into a dream – not hers, exactly."

Letdown and Fragmentation

I was bound to become frustrated when I hoped this new voice could last out the book. Kraus notes here that she dislikes the satisfaction those who appreciate polished prose have derived from I Love Dick; she's dedicated to disruption, to the messy artistic approach she has in common with her idol Kathy Acker, and the void and recurrence of her previous novels returns in the second segment. Catt is working on refurbishing multiple decrepit residences in the most troubled areas of Albuquerque while moving between Minnesota and LA, unable to aid her husband manage his alcohol use. She is overwhelmed as Paul transitions between underfunded jobs as an substance abuse counselor in a society driven by the rage and anxiety that underpins an electoral success. There are several pages about Catt being cancelled 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 states that she's investigating the murder so that before exiting the region, "she may grasp something about an the United States that her social media opponents would not understand, would not even perceive".

The Murder Narrative

So then we come to the murder itself – and the referenced day experienced by the murdered individual with the killer and his companions. Kraus utilizes great source material, and reconstructs step by step what happened when the victim Brandon came to visit Brittney after connecting via an application where she sold sex pictures. He was hoping for sex but seems affably to have spent the day with her companions, loitering fixing his automobile and funding treats and narcotics, before being shot by her romantic interest Micah – a young, mentally ill man who has repeatedly received inpatient care for fits of anger.

Fascination and Incompletion

The protagonist becomes fixated by the narrative, and I found myself captivated by the way that her twin drives towards ethical reporting and reckless transgression tussle in this section. But I'd have liked her to delve deeper into her own obsessions here. The standout figure is Brittney herself, who comes alive in part due to Catt's identification with her – another bright, bullied girl going off the rails in a difficult, overlooked locality. Kraus tells us that the protagonist communicates with Brittney in jail, but she omits the dramatization of these talks. This entire part feels curiously unresolved, to the degree that Kraus's narration ends almost mid-par