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The new book is populated with individuals pursuing fresh starts, struggling to escape addictions or toxic relationships, only to find hope curdling into conflict. The author repeatedly invokes the phrase "clean slate", transforming it into intentionally weary through its repetitions. Examples include "He aimed to start over" and "They chose to begin anew" recur in the text. And yet, she is embarking on her personal new beginning, because this appears a novel form of writing – observational, genuinely novelistic. But then it proves to be laden with the recurring issues and aesthetics as past novels.

From Accidental Writer to Iconic Work

The writer began as an visual artist who became a writer unintentionally with her 1997 cult classic I Love Dick, which was composed of letters to an unreceptive lover, elevating confessional female writing from abjection into defiance. She kept producing books, but the three subsequent engaging and challenging novels did not possess the power and directness that the correspondence format brought to the narrative voice of I Love Dick. This was not aided by was her role as a renegade artist who had evolved into a extensive real estate holder, so there was much discussion on housing investments. It follows that she now wants to try out new kinds of material, directing her gaze to other people's stories, at a time when she claims that current political era renders personal narrative unnecessary.

Three Generations, Shared Inescapable History

The Four Spent the Day Together is organized into a trio of segments, encompassing multiple eras – none able to break free from their histories. We encounter the story of a couple named Emma and Jasper, based on Kraus's parents, relocating from the urban environment to the Connecticut countryside. Then there is the narrative of the author, in the character of protagonist Catt Greene, confronting the belated success of I Love Dick, the ascent of a political figure, and her substance-dependent spouse her husband Paul. And there is the story of the murder of one troubled youth by another in a town mostly forsaken by forward-thinking policies only 80 miles from Catt's rural residence in the Minnesota countryside.

From my perspective as a reader attracted to refined literature of the sort Kraus herself typically rejects, I was captivated by the literary tone of the initial segment.

As a reader who appreciates honed writing of the kind that Kraus often disregards, I was captivated by the storytelling approach of the opening segment. There is a fresh level of observation that accommodates trivial aspects, like the bucket that the youthful Catt frees from the ice at the start of the story, aided by her adored dad. "Look, an ice toy!" she exclaims; "a great plaything", he replies, "the ambiguous meanings of language rolling around in their mouths like hard candy". The author narrates the tale of Emma with interest and closeness. "Emma experienced a dreamlike sensation – not entirely her own."

Disappointment and Disjunction

I was fated to feel let down when I hoped this different style could last out the book. The author states here that she is annoyed by the enjoyment those who appreciate polished prose have derived from I Love Dick; she's committed to disjunction, to the untidy aesthetics she echoes from her idol writer Kathy Acker, and the void and recurrence of her earlier works comes back in the second segment. Catt Greene is working on refurbishing three dozen dilapidated units in the most troubled areas of Albuquerque while shuttling between Minnesota and LA, unsuccessful in assisting Paul curb his addiction. She feels helpless as Paul cycles through poorly supported positions as an substance abuse counselor in a environment fueled by the hostility and dread that underpins an electoral success. A significant portion discusses about Catt being cancelled on social media, her professional designation altered from "writer" to "landlord" on the online encyclopedia. Kraus still seems to be overly concerned about this. On one occasion she states that she's investigating the murder so that before departing the state, "she may grasp something about an the United States that her online critics would not understand, would not even see".

The Killing Story

So then we come to the actual killing – and the eponymous day passed by the deceased with the murderer and his friends. Kraus has excellent raw material, and knows hour by hour what occurred as Brandon came to see Brittney after connecting via an application where she sold sex pictures. He sought a sexual encounter but appears congenially to have passed the day alongside her friends, mooching around getting his car mended and covering the cost of food and substances, before being killed by gunfire by Brittney's partner Micah – a young, mentally ill man who has repeatedly received inpatient care for violent rage.

Preoccupation and Open Ends

Catt gets obsessed by the account, and I was fascinated by the way that Kraus's dual urges towards accurate chronicling and audacious rule-breaking wrestle in this part. However, I would have preferred her to explore more thoroughly her own obsessions here. The most interesting character is Brittney herself, who comes alive partly through the protagonist's connection to her – another bright, bullied girl derailing in a struggling, neglected community. Kraus notes that Catt speaks to Brittney in detention, but she omits the dramatization of these talks. The complete segment feels oddly unfinished, to the point that her narrative ends almost mid-par