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The new book is populated with individuals chasing after clean slates, struggling to escape substance abuse or toxic relationships, only to witness hope devolve into conflict. The author often employs the phrase "clean slate", making it intentionally weary through recurring use. Examples include "He could make a fresh start" and "They chose to begin anew" are scattered across the narrative. At the same time, she appears to be undertaking her individual reinvention, as this seems a novel form of writing – observational, truly literary. But then it turns out to be laden with the recurring issues and styles as earlier books.

From Unplanned Author to Cult Classic

Chris Kraus began as an artist who transitioned to writing somewhat by chance 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 persisted as a writer, but the next trio of fascinating and rebarbative novels lacked the shock and immediacy that the letter form imparted to the narrative voice of I Love Dick. It didn't help was her position as a nonconformist creator who had turned into a large-scale low-rent landlord, so there was much discussion on housing investments. It follows that she now wants to experiment with different types of content, turning outward to external narratives, at a time when she states that contemporary political climate makes confessional writing redundant.

Three Generations, Shared Inescapable History

The Four Spent the Day Together is organized into a trio of segments, spanning multiple eras – each trapped by their backgrounds. We encounter the tale of Emma and Jasper, versions of the author's parents, transitioning from the New York borough to a pastoral setting. Additionally the narrative of the author, in the guise of a figure named Catt Greene, confronting the belated success of I Love Dick, the ascent of a political figure, and her substance-dependent spouse a man named Paul. Finally the narrative of a homicide of one directionless individual by another in a community long abandoned by progressive politics only a short distance from Catt's cottage in rural Minnesota.

As a reader fond of honed writing of the sort Kraus tends to eschew, I was seduced by the narrative style of the initial segment.

As someone who reads who appreciates honed writing of the style that Kraus herself often disregards, I was captivated by the literary tone of the opening segment. It possesses a fresh level of observation that makes room for minutiae, like the bucket that the youthful Catt pries out of frozen water at the start of the story, helped by her adored dad. "Look, an ice toy!" she declares; "a nice toy", he replies, "the ambiguous meanings of language rolling around in their mouths like hard candy". Kraus writes Emma's narrative with curiosity and intimacy. "Emma experienced a dreamlike sensation – not hers, exactly."

Disappointment and Disjunction

I was bound to become frustrated when I expected this new voice could continue through the novel. Kraus notes here that she resents the satisfaction readers like me have taken from I Love Dick; she's devoted to fragmentation, to the untidy aesthetics she shares with her idol Kathy Acker, and the blankness and repetitiveness of her previous novels comes back in the central part. The protagonist is attempting to do up multiple decrepit residences in the most troubled areas of Albuquerque while moving between the Midwest and the West Coast, unable to aid Paul manage his alcohol use. She experiences powerlessness as Paul cycles through low-resource employment as an substance abuse counselor in a society propelled by the anger and fear that powers Trump's victory. A significant portion discusses about the protagonist facing cancellation on social media, her professional designation altered from "author" to "real estate holder" on a reference site. The author still appears to be overly concerned about this. In a moment she states that she's researching the homicide so that before departing the state, "she could potentially understand something about an America that her Twitter detractors would not understand, would not even see".

The Killing Story

Then we reach to the actual killing – and the titular day spent by the deceased with the murderer and his associates. The author possesses excellent raw material, and details moment by moment what occurred as a man named Brandon came to visit Brittney after meeting her on an app where she sold sex pictures. He anticipated intimacy but seems amiably to have occupied the day in the company of her associates, mooching around having his vehicle repaired and paying for snacks and drugs, before being murdered by Brittney's partner Micah – a young, mentally ill man who has often been institutionalized for violent rage.

Obsession and Unfinished Business

The protagonist becomes fixated by the narrative, and I was intrigued by the way that the author's conflicting impulses towards responsible documentation and reckless transgression wrestle in this part. However, I would have preferred her to go further into her personal fixations here. The most interesting character is Brittney, who becomes vivid partly through Catt seeing herself in her – another bright, bullied girl derailing in a troubled, forgotten town. The author informs us that the protagonist communicates with Brittney in detention, but she fails to enact these dialogues. The complete segment feels oddly unfinished, to the point that the author's storytelling ends almost mid-par