This latest work centers on protagonists seeking new beginnings, attempting to leave behind drugs or abusive marriages, only to find hope curdling into violence. Kraus often employs the phrase "new beginning", transforming it into intentionally weary through its repetitions. Phrases such as "He aimed to start over" and "They decided to make a fresh start" recur in the story. At the same time, the author herself appears to be undertaking her individual reinvention, since this seems a different type of work – observational, truly literary. But then it proves to be packed with the same dilemmas and aesthetics as earlier books.
From Unplanned Author to Iconic Work
Kraus started out as an artist who transitioned to writing almost accidentally with her 1997 cult classic I Love Dick, made up of letters to an unreceptive lover, elevating personal female narrative from self-debasement into defiance. She continued writing, but the following three engaging and challenging novels did not possess the impact and rawness that the epistolary style imparted to the voice of I Love Dick. This was not aided by was her role as a renegade artist who had turned into a major property owner, so there was significant attention on property transactions. It is logical that she presently aims to explore different types of content, looking outwards to the experiences of others, at a moment when she claims that current political era makes confessional writing obsolete.
Several Eras, Shared Inescapable History
The Four Spent the Day Together is organized into a trio of segments, spanning three generations – all unable to escape their histories. The book includes the narrative about Emma and Jasper, versions of Kraus's parents, moving from the Bronx to a pastoral setting. There is the story of Kraus herself, in the persona of protagonist Catt Greene, reckoning with the delayed acclaim of I Love Dick, the ascent of a political figure, and her substance-dependent spouse her husband Paul. The third thread involves the account of a killing of one troubled youth by another in a locality long abandoned by forward-thinking policies only a short distance from Catt's cottage in a remote part of Minnesota.
From my perspective as a reader fond of polished prose of the type Kraus often avoids, I was captivated by the novelistic voice of the first section.
As a reader who favors crafted language of the kind that Kraus herself often disregards, I was captivated by the literary tone of the opening segment. It possesses a fresh level of observation that accommodates small details, like the pail that the youthful Catt dislodges from ice at the start of the story, assisted by her beloved father. "I found an ice toy!" she says; "a great plaything", he replies, "the ambiguous meanings of language rolling around in their mouths like piece candy". She tells Emma's story with inquiry and familiarity. "Emma felt like she'd stepped into a dream – not precisely her dream."
Disappointment and Disjunction
I was bound to become frustrated when I hoped this different style could continue through the novel. The author states here that she dislikes the enjoyment those who appreciate polished prose have taken from I Love Dick; she's committed to fragmentation, to the messy artistic approach she echoes from her idol Kathy Acker, and the blankness and repetitiveness of her past books comes back in the central part. Catt is working on refurbishing 36 run-down apartments in the most troubled areas of Albuquerque while moving between two different states, unable to aid her husband manage his alcohol use. She experiences powerlessness as Paul cycles through poorly supported positions as an substance abuse counselor in a society propelled by the hostility and dread that underpins an electoral success. There are several pages about Catt's social media ostracism on social media, her occupation changed from "author" to "property owner" on the online encyclopedia. The author still appears to invest excessive emotion about this. In a moment she remarks that she's investigating the murder so that before departing the state, "she could potentially understand something about an the United States that her social media opponents would fail to comprehend, would overlook entirely".
The Murder Narrative
Thus we arrive to the homicide in question – and the titular day spent by the deceased with the murderer and his associates. Kraus utilizes excellent raw material, and reconstructs step by step what transpired when the victim Brandon came to meet Brittney after encountering her on a platform where she offered adult photos. He was hoping for sex but seems amiably to have occupied the day in the company of her associates, wandering about getting his car mended and funding treats and narcotics, before being shot by Brittney's boyfriend a man named Micah – a youth with psychological issues who has often been institutionalized for fits of anger.
Fascination and Incompletion
Catt gets obsessed by the narrative, and I was intrigued by the way that her twin drives towards ethical reporting and audacious rule-breaking wrestle in this part. But I'd have liked her to go further into her personal fixations here. The most interesting character is Brittney herself, who gains dimension partly through Catt seeing herself in her – a similarly gifted, tormented individual derailing in a troubled, forgotten town. The author informs us that Catt converses with Brittney in jail, but she fails to enact these dialogues. This entire part feels oddly unfinished, to the point that Kraus's narration ends almost mid-par
