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The new book is populated with protagonists pursuing clean slates, trying to break free from drugs or abusive marriages, only to witness hope devolve into conflict. Chris Kraus frequently uses the phrase "clean slate", making it deliberately jaded through recurring use. Phrases such as "He aimed to start over" and "They chose to begin anew" recur in the story. And yet, she is embarking on her own fresh start, as this appears a novel form of writing – documentarian, genuinely novelistic. But then it reveals itself to be filled with the familiar conflicts and styles as her previous works.

From Accidental Writer to Renowned Book

Kraus began as an creative who transitioned to writing almost accidentally with her 1997 cult classic I Love Dick, structured as letters to an unreceptive lover, converting intimate women's literature from self-debasement into assassination. She continued writing, but the three subsequent compelling and abrasive novels missed the power and directness that the correspondence format brought to the narrative voice of I Love Dick. It didn't help was her identity as a nonconformist creator who had evolved into a major property owner, so there was considerable focus on real estate deals. It makes sense that she now wants to explore fresh narrative sources, turning outward to external narratives, at a moment when she states that Trumpian politics makes confessional writing unnecessary.

Three Generations, Shared Inescapable History

The Four Spent the Day Together is divided into three sections, spanning three generations – each trapped by their backgrounds. There is the tale of characters Emma and Jasper, representations of the author's parents, transitioning from the New York borough to rural Connecticut. There is the narrative of the author, in the character of protagonist Catt Greene, reckoning with the belated success of I Love Dick, the ascent of a political figure, and her substance-dependent spouse Paul. The third thread involves the story of the murder of one lost young man by another in a community long abandoned by progressive politics only 80 miles from Catt's cottage in rural Minnesota.

From my perspective as a reader fond of refined literature of the type the author herself often avoids, I was seduced by the narrative style of the initial segment.

As someone who reads who favors crafted language of the kind that Kraus herself usually avoids, I was seduced by the storytelling approach of the initial part. It possesses a fresh level of observation that accommodates minutiae, like the pail that the youthful Catt frees from the ice at the opening of the book, aided by her adored dad. "Look, an ice toy!" she exclaims; "a lovely toy", he answers, "the nuanced interpretations of terms tumbling in their mouths like hard candy". She tells the tale of Emma with interest and closeness. "Emma experienced a dreamlike sensation – not entirely her own."

Disappointment and Disjunction

I was bound to become frustrated when I expected this fresh tone could persist to the end. Kraus notes here that she resents the pleasure those who appreciate polished prose have derived from I Love Dick; she's dedicated to disruption, to the messy artistic approach she shares with her idol writer Kathy Acker, and the emptiness and redundancy of her previous novels comes back in the second segment. Catt is attempting to do up three dozen dilapidated units in Albuquerque's worst neighbourhoods while traveling between the Midwest and the West Coast, failing to help Paul manage his alcohol use. She feels helpless as Paul transitions between low-resource employment as an addiction therapist in a world fueled by the anger and fear that powers an electoral success. There are several pages about Catt being cancelled on a platform, her occupation changed from "author" to "property owner" on the online encyclopedia. Kraus still seems to be overly concerned about this. On one occasion she remarks that she's investigating the murder so that before exiting the region, "she could potentially understand something about an America that her online critics would not understand, would overlook entirely".

The Homicide Account

So then we come to the homicide in question – and the eponymous day experienced by the deceased with the perpetrator and his companions. Kraus utilizes great source material, and reconstructs step by step what transpired when a man named Brandon came to see Brittney after encountering her on a platform where she marketed explicit images. He sought a sexual encounter but appears congenially to have passed the day alongside her friends, wandering about getting his car mended and funding treats and narcotics, before being shot by her romantic interest Micah – a young, mentally ill man who has often been institutionalized for aggressive outbursts.

Preoccupation and Open Ends

Catt develops an obsession by the narrative, and I was intrigued by the way that the author's conflicting impulses towards ethical reporting and reckless transgression clash in this segment. Yet I wished her to explore more thoroughly her own obsessions here. The compelling persona is Brittney herself, who gains dimension in part due to Catt's identification with her – yet another intelligent, harassed young woman derailing in a difficult, overlooked locality. The author informs us that Catt speaks to Brittney in jail, but she doesn't dramatise these conversations. The whole section feels oddly unfinished, to the degree that the author's storytelling ends almost mid-par