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The Four Spent the Day Together centers on individuals pursuing new beginnings, struggling to escape addictions or toxic relationships, only to find hope curdling into violence. The author frequently uses the phrase "clean slate", making it intentionally weary through its repetitions. Examples include "He was ready for a new beginning" and "They opted for a clean break" recur in the narrative. Meanwhile, the author herself appears to be undertaking her own fresh start, since this appears a novel form of writing – observational, authentically narrative. Yet it turns out to be laden with the same dilemmas and aesthetics as her previous works.

From Unplanned Author to Cult Classic

The writer started out as an artist who transitioned to writing almost accidentally with her 1997 cult classic I Love Dick, made up of epistles to an unresponsive love interest, converting intimate women's literature from abjection into assassination. She kept producing books, but the next trio of fascinating and rebarbative novels did not possess the shock and immediacy that the correspondence format infused into the voice of I Love Dick. This was not aided by was her position as a renegade artist who had evolved into a major property owner, so there was much discussion on property transactions. It is logical that she presently aims to experiment with new kinds of material, turning outward to external narratives, at a time when she asserts that Trumpian politics turns intimate literature unnecessary.

Multiple Generations, Collective Unavoidable Background

The Four Spent the Day Together is organized into a trio of segments, spanning several time periods – each trapped by their histories. The book includes the narrative about a couple named Emma and Jasper, versions of the author's parents, relocating from the Bronx to rural Connecticut. Then there is the story of Kraus herself, in the persona of protagonist Catt Greene, confronting the late recognition of I Love Dick, the ascent of a political figure, and her substance-dependent spouse Paul. Finally the account of a killing of one directionless individual by another in a community mostly forsaken by liberal ideals only a short distance from the protagonist's home in a remote part of Minnesota.

For this reader drawn to polished prose of the type Kraus often avoids, I was enchanted by the literary tone of the opening part.

As a reader who appreciates precise prose of the variety that Kraus tends to eschew, I was won over by the novelistic voice of the opening segment. It exhibits a fresh level of observation that makes room for minutiae, like the pail that the young Catt pries out of frozen water at the opening of the book, aided by her beloved father. "Look, an ice toy!" she declares; "a nice toy", he responds, "the elliptical meanings of words circulating in their speech like sweet treats". Kraus writes the tale of Emma with interest and closeness. "Emma experienced a dreamlike sensation – not entirely her own."

Letdown and Fragmentation

I was bound to become frustrated when I expected this fresh tone could continue through the novel. Kraus notes here that she resents the enjoyment audiences such as myself have derived from I Love Dick; she's dedicated to disruption, to the unpolished style she shares with her hero author Kathy Acker, and the void and recurrence of her earlier works reasserts itself in the middle section. The protagonist is attempting to do up multiple decrepit residences in the city's most challenging districts while shuttling between two different states, unable to aid Paul control his drinking. She experiences powerlessness as Paul cycles through low-resource employment as an addiction therapist in a world fueled by the hostility and dread that powers an electoral success. Multiple pages are devoted about the protagonist facing cancellation on social media, her professional designation altered from "author" to "real estate holder" on Wikipedia. She still gives the impression to care a little too much about this. On one occasion she states that she's investigating the murder so that before exiting the region, "she could potentially understand something about an the nation that her social media opponents would fail to comprehend, would not even perceive".

The Killing Story

Thus we arrive to the homicide in question – and the eponymous day spent by the deceased with the killer and his associates. Kraus utilizes compelling foundational content, and details moment by moment what happened when Brandon came to meet Brittney after encountering her on a platform where she offered adult photos. He was hoping for sex but seems affably to have spent the day with her companions, loitering having his vehicle repaired and paying for snacks and drugs, before being killed by gunfire by Brittney's partner Micah – a youth with psychological issues who has often been institutionalized for violent rage.

Fascination and Incompletion

Catt gets obsessed by the narrative, and I was fascinated by the way that Kraus's dual urges towards responsible documentation and reckless transgression tussle in this section. However, I would have preferred her to delve deeper into her individual preoccupations here. The most interesting character is Brittney, who gains dimension partially because of the protagonist's connection to her – a similarly gifted, tormented individual spiraling out of control in a struggling, neglected community. The author informs us that the protagonist communicates with Brittney in detention, but she omits the dramatization of these talks. The whole section feels curiously unresolved, to the degree that Kraus's narration ends almost mid-par