The new book centers on individuals chasing after clean slates, struggling to escape substance abuse or toxic relationships, only to see hope turn into aggression. Kraus repeatedly invokes the phrase "clean slate", rendering it willfully cynical through constant reiteration. Phrases such as "He aimed to start over" and "They chose to begin anew" appear throughout the narrative. Meanwhile, Kraus herself appears to be undertaking her individual reinvention, since this presents as a novel form of writing – fact-based, authentically narrative. Yet it proves to be filled with the same dilemmas and styles as earlier books.
From Unplanned Author to Renowned Book
Chris Kraus was originally an creative who entered the literary world almost accidentally with her 1997 cult classic I Love Dick, made up of missives to a distant beloved, converting personal female narrative from self-debasement into assassination. She persisted as a writer, but the three subsequent engaging and challenging novels did not possess the power and directness that the letter form brought to the tone of I Love Dick. Compounding this was her role as a renegade artist who had turned into a major property owner, so there was considerable focus on real estate deals. It makes sense that she now wants to try out fresh narrative sources, turning outward to the experiences of others, at a moment when she claims that contemporary political climate renders personal narrative unnecessary.
Three Generations, Shared Inescapable History
The Four Spent the Day Together is structured in three parts, encompassing multiple eras – each trapped by their histories. We encounter the tale of Emma and Jasper, versions of the author's parents, relocating from the Bronx to the Connecticut countryside. Then there is the account of Kraus, in the character of protagonist Catt Greene, reckoning with the belated success of I Love Dick, the ascent of a political figure, and her partner struggling with addiction a man named Paul. The third thread involves the account of a killing of one lost young man by another in a locality mostly forsaken by progressive politics only a short distance from the protagonist's home in rural Minnesota.
For this reader fond of refined literature of the kind the author herself often avoids, I was enchanted by the narrative style of the initial segment.
Being a reader who appreciates honed writing of the style that Kraus usually avoids, I was captivated by the literary tone of the opening segment. There is a novel degree of detail that accommodates minutiae, like the bucket that the youthful Catt frees from the ice at the opening of the book, assisted by her cherished parent. "Look, an ice toy!" she exclaims; "a lovely toy", he replies, "the elliptical meanings of words circulating in their speech like sweet treats". She tells the tale of Emma with inquiry and familiarity. "It seemed to Emma she had entered a dream – not hers, exactly."
Frustration and Disruption
I was destined to be disappointed when I hoped this new voice could last out the book. Kraus notes here that she is annoyed by the pleasure those who appreciate polished prose have taken from I Love Dick; she's dedicated to disruption, to the untidy aesthetics she has in common with her idol writer Kathy Acker, and the blankness and repetitiveness of her previous novels returns in the central part. Catt is working on refurbishing 36 run-down apartments in the city's most challenging districts while traveling between two different states, failing to help her husband control his drinking. She experiences powerlessness as her spouse moves between low-resource employment as an addiction therapist in a world fueled by the rage and anxiety that drives an electoral success. There are several pages about Catt being cancelled on Twitter, her occupation changed from "novelist" to "real estate holder" on a reference site. The author still appears to be overly concerned about this. On one occasion she states 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 not even see".
The Murder Narrative
Then we reach to the murder itself – and the titular day spent by the murdered individual with the murderer and his companions. The author possesses excellent raw material, and knows hour by hour what occurred as Brandon came to see Brittney after connecting via an application where she marketed explicit images. He anticipated intimacy but seems affably to have spent the day alongside her friends, mooching around getting his car mended and paying for snacks and drugs, before being shot by Brittney's boyfriend Micah – a individual with mental health challenges who has frequently been hospitalised for fits of anger.
Obsession and Unfinished Business
Catt gets obsessed by the narrative, and I was intrigued by the way that Kraus's dual urges towards accurate chronicling and reckless transgression clash in this segment. But I'd have liked her to go further into her individual preoccupations here. The most interesting character is Brittney, who gains dimension partially because of Catt seeing herself in her – a similarly gifted, tormented individual derailing in a troubled, forgotten town. Kraus notes that the protagonist communicates with Brittney in jail, but she omits the dramatization of these talks. The whole section feels curiously unresolved, to the degree that her narrative ends almost mid-par
