The Four Spent the Day Together is populated with characters pursuing clean slates, attempting to leave behind drugs or toxic relationships, only to see hope turn into aggression. Kraus often employs the phrase "clean slate", making it deliberately jaded through recurring use. Sentences like "He was ready for a new beginning" and "They chose to begin anew" are scattered across the narrative. And yet, she appears to be undertaking her own fresh start, as this appears a novel form of writing – observational, authentically narrative. But then it reveals itself to be filled with the familiar conflicts and styles as past novels.
From Accidental Writer to Cult Classic
The writer started out as an creative who transitioned to writing almost accidentally with her 1997 cult classic I Love Dick, structured as epistles to an unresponsive love interest, elevating personal female narrative from abjection into assassination. She continued writing, but the next trio of fascinating and rebarbative novels missed the power and directness that the correspondence format infused into the voice of I Love Dick. This was not aided by was her identity as a nonconformist creator who had evolved into a major property owner, so there was significant attention on real estate deals. It follows that she now wants to experiment with different types of content, directing her gaze to the experiences of others, at a time when she states that Trumpian politics renders personal narrative unnecessary.
Several Eras, Shared Inescapable History
The Four Spent the Day Together is structured in three parts, covering multiple eras – each trapped by their backgrounds. The book includes the tale of characters Emma and Jasper, versions of the author's parents, transitioning from the Bronx to the Connecticut countryside. Then there is the narrative of the author, in the character of a figure named Catt Greene, reckoning with the late recognition of I Love Dick, the ascent of a political figure, and her partner struggling with addiction Paul. And there is the account of a killing of one troubled youth by another in a community mostly forsaken by progressive politics only a short distance from Catt's cottage in rural Minnesota.
As a reader drawn to polished prose of the type Kraus tends to eschew, I was seduced by the literary tone of the initial segment.
As a reader who appreciates crafted language of the style that Kraus herself usually avoids, I was seduced by the storytelling approach of the first section. It possesses a novel degree of detail that accommodates trivial aspects, like the pail that the protagonist as a child pries out of frozen water at the start of the story, aided by her adored dad. "I discovered a frozen plaything!" she exclaims; "a great plaything", he responds, "the ambiguous meanings of language circulating in their speech like sweet treats". Kraus writes Emma's story with interest and closeness. "Emma felt like she'd stepped into a dream – not hers, exactly."
Frustration and Disruption
I was bound to become frustrated when I wished this fresh tone could continue through the novel. The author states here that she resents the enjoyment those who appreciate polished prose have derived from I Love Dick; she's devoted to disjunction, to the messy artistic approach she shares with her hero writer Kathy Acker, and the blankness and repetitiveness of her earlier works reasserts itself in the middle section. Catt Greene is attempting to do up multiple decrepit residences in the most troubled areas of Albuquerque while moving between two different states, unable to aid her husband curb his addiction. She feels helpless as her spouse moves between poorly supported positions as an addiction therapist in a environment propelled by the rage and anxiety that underpins a political win. A significant portion discusses about Catt's social media ostracism on Twitter, her occupation changed from "novelist" to "property owner" on a reference site. The author still appears to be overly concerned about this. In a moment she remarks that she's investigating the murder so that before leaving Minnesota, "she may grasp something about an America that her online critics would fail to comprehend, would not even perceive".
The Killing Story
Thus we arrive to the murder itself – and the referenced day passed by the deceased with the murderer and his associates. Kraus utilizes compelling foundational content, and details moment by moment 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 amiably to have occupied the day with her companions, mooching around having his vehicle repaired and covering the cost of food and substances, before being shot by Brittney's boyfriend Micah – a young, mentally ill man who has repeatedly received inpatient care for aggressive outbursts.
Fascination and Incompletion
The protagonist becomes fixated by the narrative, and I found myself captivated by the way that her twin drives towards responsible documentation and audacious rule-breaking tussle in this section. But I'd have liked her to delve deeper into her own obsessions here. The most interesting character is Brittney herself, who comes alive partially because of the protagonist's connection to her – another bright, bullied girl going off the rails in a struggling, neglected community. Kraus notes that Catt speaks to Brittney in jail, but she fails to enact these dialogues. The whole section feels oddly unfinished, to the degree that Kraus's narration ends almost mid-par
